Correlation Between Copolymer Characteristics, Conditions of Fiber Formation, and Mechanical Properties of PAN Carbon Fiber Precursor

We present an..analysis of the copolymer molecular weight distribution effect on the mechanical properties of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers. The conditions of the fiber forming process are constant for each of six copolymers. The analysis shows that the highest values of Young's modulus are obtained for copolymers that contain 70% by weight of fractions having intrinsic viscosities that range from 1 and 3. The tensile strength of the fibers depends on deformations occurring during the fiber forming process rather than on the molecular weight distribution of the copolymer.