Carbonization of electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/cellulose nanofibril (CNF) hybrid membranes and its mechanism

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/cellulose nanofibril (CNF) based carbon nanofiber membranes were produced by electrospinning and carbonization method, in which the CNF amount was 1 wt%. In order to control the spinning process, the rheological properties of the PAN/CNF suspensions were measured before electrospinning. In addition, the effects of CNF particle size on the structure and properties of carbon nanofiber membranes were investigated systematically by SEM, FTIR and mechanical test. Meanwhile, the reaction mechanism of PAN and PAN/CNF nanofiber membranes in the process of stabilization and carbonization was also fully discussed. The results show that the addition of CNFs can improve the breaking strength and conductivity of PAN carbon nanofiber membrane. Moreover, CNFs also can accelerate the carbonization rate and reduce the reaction conditions of PAN nanofiber membranes. Therefore, CNFs are effective enhancers for PAN based carbon nanofiber membranes.