Chemomechanical Systems: Study of Contraction and Mechanical Work of Poly(Acrylonitrile) Gel Fibers

Poly(acrylonim1e) fibers were preoxidated under stress, in the presence of air, then saponified by boiling in alkaline solutions. The chemomechani-cal behavior of these fibers, expressed as contraction and mechanical work, under different loads and in different solvent-nonsolvent and/or base-acid systems were investigated. Total nitrogen content, carboxyl groups content, tensile strength, and cross-link density were determined. Both contraction and mechanical work were expressed as functions of applied load in every studied system. The results of chemomechanical measurements were connected to those of chemical and physical investigations. Significant differences in chemomechanical behavior were found to be the result of different stress conditions during the preoxidation stage.