Characterization of polyacrylonitrile based carbon nanofiber mats via electron beam processing

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of electron beam irradiation to drive stabilization reactions within PAN nanofiber mats to obtain carbon nanofiber mats. PAN nanofiber mats with fiber diameters of 300-400 nm were prepared via an electrospinning method. Electrospun PAN nanofiber mats were stabilized by electron beam irradiation with various doses up to 5,000 kGy. Using the irradiation-stabilized PAN nanofiber mats, carbon nanofibers were obtained by pyrolysis in a tube furnace for 1 h at 1,000 degrees C under an N2 atmosphere. FT-IR analysis indicated that the transformation of C[triple bond]N groups to C==N groups was accelerated by electron beam stabilization. The thermal behavior of the PAN nanofiber mats was studied using DSC and TGA. DSC thermograms showed that the peak temperatures of the exothermic reactions were found to decrease with increasing electron beam irradiation doses. Irradiation-stabilized PAN nanofiber mats were not observed to dramatically decrease in weight between 290 degrees C and 320 degrees C, an observation presumed to be related to cyclization. The char yields of PAN were found to increase with increasing irradiation doses.