This report details observations of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and singe wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) composite film structures when processed through pyrolization cycles. The work focuses on understanding the initial production and preservation of ordered graphitic structures formed at low-temperatures (i.e., 700 to 1000 °C), being subsequently subjected to carbon dioxide activation. The composite films were made using a solvent-based phase-separation process that promotes the formation of fibrillar crystal growth in the interfacial region between the SWNT surface and the PAN polymer chains. Previously reported work concerning the optimal environmental and material conditions needed for the formation of this interphase region was used to justify the selection of PAN and carbon nanotube (CNT) type as well as the concentration ratios employed. Precursor composite films underwent identical stabilization and carbonization cycles in air and argon gas, respectively. Graphitization and annealing cycles were then performed for various time and temperature (up to 1700 °C) combinations before subjecting the samples to activation in carbon dioxide. Final material composition and morphology was evaluated using wide-angle x-ray diffraction, degradation studies, spectroscopy, and electron microscopy both before and after activation. This work reports the influence of thermal processing on the ability of the graphitic interphase structures to withstand activation in carbon dioxide.

Effects of thermal processing on the activation of graphitic structures formed at low-temperature from interphase polyacrylonitrile/carbon nanotube composites

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.