Lignin/Polyacrylonitrile Carbon Fibers: The Effect of Fractionation and Purification on Properties of Derived Carbon Fibers

Abstract

The effects of lignin chemical structures on the quality of lignin-based carbon fibers are still not clear. For this reason, we address the challenge by using a simple acid precipitation method to separate and purify lignin and study the effects of physicochemical characteristics of fractionated lignin on the properties of lignin-based CFs. The precipitation carried out by sequential acidification at different pH levels (10, 8, 6, 4, and 2) is indeed effective in obtaining fractionated lignin samples with different chemical structures, including molecular weights, units’ composition ratios, and polydispersity indexes (PDIs). All the fractionated lignin samples are respectively blended with polyacrylonitrile at the ratio of 1:1 (w/w) and electro-spun into fibers. Results suggest that a fractionated lignin sample with a large molecular weight, low PDI, and strong thermal stability can produce carbon fibers with excellent performance, such as good spinnability, high crystallization, and mechanical strength.