The effect of modification on structure and dynamic mechanical behavior during the processing of acrylic fiber to stabilized fiber

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers pretreated with potassium permanganate have reduced the time required for stabilization, and also improved mechanical properties of the resultant carbon fibers. In this study, the effect of modification on the stabilization process and the dynamic mechanical properties of PAN fibers have been examined. The beta peak appeared at about 125°C on the loss tangent curves caused by molecular motion in the PAN fiber. Appearing at about 254°C, the alpha peak is attributed to chemical reactions and molecular motion in the formation of the crystalline phase of stabilized fibers. The alpha peak of the modified PAN fiber had lower absorption and had a smaller peak in the temperature range of 212–239°C. This indicated that potassium permanganate acts as a catalyst to lower the reaction temperature by about 20°C of the initial cyclization reaction. The dynamic storage modulus analysis indicated that modified PAN fibers have a lower initial transition temperature and that formation of the ladder polymer is gradual and steady.