Effect of Temperature on the Structural Evolution of Polyacrylonitrile Fibers During Plasma-Assisted Thermal Stabilization
摘要
Atmospheric plasma treatment can significantly increase the reactivity of oxygen. It shows excellent development prospects in the efficient thermo-oxidative stabilization of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers. Temperature significantly influences the effectiveness of plasma-assisted stabilization of PAN fibers. At a lower reaction temperature (lower than 170 °C), plasma treatment does not initiate the stabilization reaction, but can enhance the combination of oxygen and PAN. After the initiation of stabilization reaction, the plasma treatment can promote the cyclization reaction and the oxidation reaction. However, at higher temperatures (higher than 250 °C), when the thermally induced stabilization reactions are pronounced, the effect of plasma treatment is diminished. Further radial structure characterization reveals that plasma promotes the stabilization process by increasing the reaction rate of oxygen and PAN fibers. The diffusion rate of oxygen is not noticeably improved by plasma treatment.
Graphical Abstract