Bimodification of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers

A new technique for the modification of PAN fibers has evolved, in which the starting precursor material is impregnated with an aliphatic carboxylic acid, as well as KMnO4. The bimodification of PAN, attempted by us for the first time, is aimed at achieving dual advantages in plasticization effect, as well as in a catalytic effect in a single treatment. The unmodified, unimodified, and bimodified precursors have been characterized for their mechanical, thermal, and physical behavior during various stages of processing to carbon fibers. These results are discussed in detail. The study further shows an 18% improvement in the mechanical properties of carbon fibers, prepared from bimodified precursor, as compared to that of unmodified precursor. One of the reasons for such improvement is the lowering in diameter of PAN fibers and in the resulting carbon fibers.