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Effect of Hybrid Surface Modifications on Tensile Properties of Polyacrylonitrile- and Pitch-Based Carbon Fibers

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Abstract

Recent interest has emerged in techniques that modify the surfaces of carbon fibers, such as carbon nanotube (CNT) grafting or polymer coating. Hybridization of these surface modifications has the potential to generate highly tunable, high-performance materials. In this study, the mechanical properties of surface-modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based and pitch-based carbon fibers were investigated. Single-filament tensile tests were performed for fibers modified by CNT grafting, dipped polyimide coating, high-temperature vapor deposition polymerized polyimide coating, grafting-dipping hybridization, and grafting-vapor deposition hybridization. The Weibull statistical distributions of the tensile strengths of the surface-modified PAN- and pitch-based carbon fibers were examined. All surface modifications, especially hybrid modifications, improved the tensile strengths and Weibull moduli of the carbon fibers. The results exhibited a linear relationship between the Weibull modulus and average tensile strength on a log-log scale for all surface-modified PAN- and pitch-based carbon fibers.

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Notes

  1. Several growth temperatures and times were examined for CNT deposition (e.g., 650, 700, 750, and 800 °C and 120, 300, 600, 900, 1200, and 1800 s). SEM micrographs showed that the quality of CNT deposition was similar for PAN- and pitch-based carbon fibers at the above growth conditions. Differences due to temperature were attributed to the differing thermal conductivities and surface morphologies of PAN- and pitch-based carbon fibers.

  2. Similar results are also shown in Fig. 4(e).

  3. This result is shown in Fig. 5(c).

  4. Several data points for the as-received carbon fibers did not fall on the line (T1000GB in Fig. 7(a)) when the gage length was >100 mm because the Weibull modulus stabilized at a larger value of the gage length than that at which the average tensile strength stabilized. The results clearly show that when the gage length was <100 mm, the Weibull moduli and the average tensile strengths of both the PAN- and pitch-based carbon fibers increased with decreasing gage length, and linear relationships were observed between the Weibull moduli and the average tensile strengths of the as-received and CNT-grafted carbon fibers on a log-log scale.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) KAKENHI 26420715 and JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) through Advanced Low Carbon Technology Research and Development Program (ALCA).

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  1. Composite Materials Group, Hybrid Materials Unit, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0047, Japan

    Kimiyoshi Naito

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Correspondence to Kimiyoshi Naito.

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Naito, K. Effect of Hybrid Surface Modifications on Tensile Properties of Polyacrylonitrile- and Pitch-Based Carbon Fibers. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 25, 2074–2083 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-016-2028-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-016-2028-1

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