Fabrication of carbon fibers from electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers

摘要

Carbon fibers were fabricated from electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers. Electrospun PVA nanofibers werentreated with iodine vapor for different periods, subsequently carbonized at different temperatures, and the structuralnchanges of the PVA nanofibers were analyzed. The nanofibers iodinated at 80 u0002C for 24 h led to a good carbon yield ofn21% when carbonized at 1200 u0002C. The influence of metal nanoparticle on the fabrication of carbon fiber and its propertiesnwas also investigated by the addition of a metal salt, nickel(II) acetate tetrahydrate [(CH3COO)2 Ni:4H2O], to thenPVA spinning solution. Noticeably, after incorporation of nickel (Ni) nanoparticle continuous electrospinning was realizednat lower polymer concentration than that of neat PVA. Moreover, smaller fiber diameter and a higher carbon yieldn(u000334%) were obtained after carbonization. Transmission electron microscopy observation of the carbon fibers revealednthat the addition of Ni-nanoparticles accelerated the formation of a graphitic structure at a lower carbonization temperaturenof 1200 u0002C.