Abstract
Acrylonitrile/1-vinylimidazole (AN/VIM) copolymers containing various mol% of VIM were synthesized by free radical solution polymerization. The copolymers were characterized by Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Char yields of the copolymers were 40-48% as determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) while gel fractions were found to be 90-99% depending upon the composition, temperature and time. The complex viscosity of the precursor copolymers was measured as a function of composition and temperature. 82/18 mol% of AN/VIM copolymer based carbon fiber precursor was successfully processed by solvent-free melt spinning at 192 °C and the melt-spun fiber was characterized by DSC, ATR-IR, and X-ray Diffraction (XRD).
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 622-628 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Polymer |
Volume | 52 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 3 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Carbon fiber precursor
- Melt processable
- Thermal cross-linking
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Organic Chemistry
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry