Byung G. Min

Influence of tension during oxidative stabilization on SO2 adsorption characteristics of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based activated carbon fibers

PAN-based carbon fibers were stabilized under various tensions in the presence of air at 230 °C and sequentially activated at 950 °C following carbonization. The prepared carbon fibers were tested for their SO2 adsorption capacity using a thermogravimeter. The magnitude of tension during stabilization and gas environment were varied to study their effects on SO2 adsorption capacity. It was found that the tension during the stabilization and the gas atmosphere during activation affect the carbon fiber properties, which are closely related to the SO2 adsorption capacity. The influence of stabilization tension and activation atmosphere on the SO2 adsorption capacity appear to arise from their effects on the amount of oxygen functional groups and the surface area of carbon fiber. The highest SO2 adsorption capacity and improved mechanical strength were observed when PAN fibers were activated under steam.

Synthesis and properties of star-like wholly aromatic polyester fibers

Abstract Novel star-like wholly aromatic copolyesters having four arms based on a tetraamine star core, p- and m- hydroxybenzoic acids and 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid have been successfully synthesized and spun into fibers for the investigation of the effect of the star-like structure on improving compressive properties of the fiber. The reactivity of the star core was demonstrated using a model compound with FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The 13C NMR spectrum of the star-like terpolymer having a molar ratio of 10:1 of the monomers to star core showed a characteristic peak at around δ62 ppm which corresponds to a tetra-substituted carbon and thereby demonstrates that the star core was really incorporated into the polymer. The star-like copolyester exhibited a clear stir opalescence and liquid crystalline morphology in the temperature range of 150–280 °C. However, no transition was observed in the DSC thermogram except a clear Tg at 110 °C. The star-like terpolymer fiber, prepared from a polymer with a molar ratio of 500:1 for the monomers to imide core, was spun in the liquid crystalline state at 180 °C. Fiber structure and properties have been studied.

Morphology and properties of polyacrylonitrile/single wall carbon nanotube composite films

Composite films were prepared by casting the solution of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and single wall nanotube (SWNT) in DMF subsequent to sonication. The SWNTs in the films are well dispersed as ropes with 20–30 nm thickness. Moreover, AFM surface image of the composite film displays an interwoven fibrous structure of nanotubes which may give rise to conductive passways and lead to high conductivity. The polarized Raman spectroscopy is an ideal characterization technique for identification and the orientation study of SWNT. The well-defined G-peak intensity at 1580 cm−1 shows a dependency on the draw ratio under cross-Nicol. The degree of nanotube orientation in the drawn film was measurable from the sine curve obtained by rotating the drawn film on the plane of cross-Nicol of polarized Raman microscope. The threshold loading of SWNT for electrical conductivity in PAN is found to be lower than 1 wt% in the composite film. The electrical conductivity of the SWNT/PAN composite film decreased with increasing of draw ratio due to the collapse of the interwoven fibrous network of the nanotubes with uniaxial orientation.

Improved compressive strength of poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) copolymer fiber containing multi-functional comonomer

Multi-functional comonomer from pentaerythritol (PE) and terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) was synthesized and used for polymerization of poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) copolymer. PBO copolymer fibers were prepared from PBO copolymers using a dry-jet wet spinning. The tensile strength of PBO copolymer fibers was higher than that of PBO, and showed 42 % increase at 0.5 mol% loading of comonomer. The tensile modulus of PBO copolymer fiber at 0.5 mol% loading showed 192 % increase compared to PBO fiber. The compressive strength of PBO copolymer fiber had values between 0.46 GPa and 0.6 GPa with the comonomer content. 64-114 % increase in compressive strength of PBO copolymer fibers was observed compared to PBO fiber.

Effect of heat-treatment on stretch of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) woven fabric

The properties of a woven fabric made of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) were investigated. The PTT fabric of draw textured yarn (DTY) showed excellent stretch as good as a fabric containing spandex. However, the unique stretch of the PTT fabric reduced dramatically by simple heat-treatment even at as low as 80 °C. To understand the phenomenon, the crimp rigidity of the DTY was observed by SEM. It was found that the drastic reduction of stretch was caused by irreversible uncrimping of PTT DTY after heat-treatment. Conclusively, it is of importance to optimize the texturing conditions for PTT DTY to make the crimp more stable.