Large-scale solution blow spinning of flexible carbon nanofibers for the separation applications

Abstract

Massive production of carbon nanofibers with low thermal conductivity and excellent properties has remained as an extremely challenging. Herein, solution blow spinning technology and textile post-treating technic were introduced to achieve the mass production of carbon nanofibers and its derivative products. Different types of materials (polyacrylonitrile and lignin) were utilized as the spinnable agent and carbon source. A comprehensive investigation was conducted into the influences of raw material components, blow spinning process, and high-temperature pyrolysis process on the performance of carbon nanofibers. Through controlling the solution flow rate (10–50 mL·h−1), different needle diameters (21–25 G) and high pressure airflow (0.2–0.4 MPa), organic solution could be effectively spined into organic fiber precursor. Importantly, with the assistant of textile rearrange and needle punching technics, loose organic sponge can be transformed into blanket with designed thicknesses and shapes. These SBS spined carbon fiber products exhibited ideal compressional resilience ability (up to 60 %), adsorption of toluene, and thermal insulation performance (0.037 W·(m·K)-1).