Synthesis of Carbon Fibers via Electrospinning Approach and the Effect of Critical Flow Rate on the Morphology of Fibers

In this work, carbon fibers have been successfully synthesized using the electrospinning approach, followed by the stabilization and carbonization heat-treatment. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) has been used as a source of the polymer. Parameters of electrospinning were optimized, including the feeding rate 0.3 (ml/h), applied voltage 4 (kV), the distance between collector and needle 10 (cm) to obtain homogenous and bead-free fibers. Then, the products were characterized by using XRD, SEM, and FESEM analysis. The effect of critical flow rate on the formation of bead-free and homogenous fibers investigated. Obtained results indicated that increasing the flow rate beyond the critical value gives rise to the emerging bead structure of the fibers. The X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed the presence of carbon structure after the stabilization and carbonization heat-treatment process.

Keywords:

Electrospinning , Polyacrylonitrile , Flow Rate , Carbon fibers