Carbon fibre production using an ecofriendly water-soluble precursor

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Sustainable Manufacturing

Background:

• Carbon fiber (CF) is a critical lightweight material, predominantly derived from polyacrylonitrile (PAN).
• PAN-based CF (PAN-CF) production involves hazardous organic solvents and energy-intensive processes, leading to significant CO2 emissions.
• There is a need for sustainable and cost-effective precursors for high-performance CF.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce aqueous polyacrylamide (aqPAM) fiber as a novel, water-soluble precursor for carbon fiber production.
• To evaluate the performance of CF derived from aqPAM compared to PAN-CF.
• To assess the environmental impact, specifically CO2 emissions, of the aqPAM-based CF production process.

Main Methods:

• Polymerization and dry spinning of aqPAM using water as a solvent.
• Incorporation of phosphoric acid into aqPAM to facilitate thermal stabilization.
• Carbonization of aqPAM fibers to produce CF.
• Characterization of the mechanical properties (tensile strength, tensile modulus) of the resulting CF.
• Comparison of carbon yield and CO2 emissions with PAN-CF production.

Main Results:

• aqPAM fibers were successfully prepared and converted into carbonized CF.
• The addition of phosphoric acid significantly reduced thermal stabilization time and increased carbon yield.
• The resulting aqPAM-based CF exhibited high tensile strength and modulus, comparable to PAN-CF.
• The developed process demonstrated reduced CO2 emissions compared to conventional PAN-CF production.

Conclusions:

• Aqueous polyacrylamide (aqPAM) is a viable and sustainable precursor for producing high-performance carbon fiber.
• The aqPAM-based process offers environmental benefits, including reduced CO2 emissions and energy consumption.
• This advancement provides a promising alternative to traditional PAN-based carbon fiber production.