Preparation of carbon nanotube embedded in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibre composites by electrospinning process

Abstract

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibres and carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced PAN nanofibres were successfully electrospun. A polymer plasticiser, ethylene carbonate (EC), was added into the PAN/CNT solutions. The average diameter of the fibres varied between 80 and 240 nm. This study investigated the effects of polymer concentration, CNT and EC on the morphological characteristics of electrospun PAN fibres. Electrospinning parameters were set at constant values to prevent their mutual influences on the resultant morphology. It was observed that increasing the polymer concentration led to a reduction of beads density and an increase in the diameter of the PAN nanofibres. The fibre diameters also increased as a result of the addition of CNTs below the electrical percolation threshold. It was found that the inclusion of EC permits changes in the morphological characteristic of the PAN/CNT nanocomposite fibre regardless of the effects of its conductivity and viscosity. © AUTEX.