Abstract:
The core/shell structure of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers formed during preoxidation was investigated by DSC, FTIR, SEM, optical microscopy and density measurement. Five precursors were used to correlate the core/shell structure with their thermochemical reactivity. It was found that the morphologies of the core/shell structures are highly relevant to the reactivity, microstructure and density of PAN fibers, and the quality of the resultant carbon fibers depends strongly on the degree of preoxidation.