Research on the multi-scale microstructure of polyacrylonitrile precursors prepared by a dry-jet wet spinning process

Abstract

An understanding of the properties of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursors is an essential precondition for manufacturing high-performance carbon fibres, and the structure of the precursors has a direct and profound effect on the performance of carbon fibres. In this study, PAN precursors, formed in a multistage coagulation bath, were spun by a dry-jet wet spinning process, and the multi-scale microstructure and morphology of the precursors were investigated by separating the fibrils from the precursors. Scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were employed to examine the surface morphology, cross-sectional morphology and microstructure of the precursors. X-ray diffraction was used to characterize the crystal structure. The micropore sizes of the precursors were determined with nitrogen adsorption experiments; the adsorption increased after ultrasonic etching and decreased with an increase in the treated concentration. All the results demonstrated that the PAN precursors had a multi-scale microstructure, the precursors consisted of fibrils with diameters of 80–200 nm and the fibrils consisted of some microfibrils with diameters of 20–40 nm, including the periodic tissues with thicknesses of 16–30 nm perpendicular to the fibre axis.