Comparative study of conventional and microwave heating of polyacrylonitrile-based fibres

Abstract

Abstract The effects of the conventional heating method and the microwave heating method on polyacrylonitrile-based fibres in the temperature range of 180–280 °C were investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray wide-angle scattering, Raman spectroscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometer, scanning electron microscopy and bulk density were used to characterise the properties of the samples. Results show that the microwave heating method can shorten the pre-oxidation time, reduce pre-oxidation temperature and reduce the number of surface defects. The pre-oxidised fibres obtained by the microwave heating method exhibit not only good crystallite size but also a smooth surface. Atomic morphology and molecular arrangement are orderly inside the fibre. The FT-IR spectrum shows that the oxidation reaction occurs at 220 °C, and the CI value of PAN fibers stabilised by microwave heating is the larger than the fibers stabilised by conventional heating. XRD analysis shows that fibers stabilised by microwave heating have low stack domains. The SEM and Raman spectra indicate that hydrogen peroxide can improve the surface finish of the fibers and reduce defects. Microwave heating can reduce the pre-oxidation temperature by about 20 °C and shorten the heating time. The economic benefits of using this method are significantly improved.