The use of renewable materials as the precursor to carbon products is intriguing. For instance, lignin is generated in vast quantities as a byproduct from cellulose extraction in the paper industry as well as a byproduct of the emerging cellulosic ethanol industry. It is an amorphous, irregularly branched biopolymer that serves to bind together the cellulose fibers in all plant matter. It is reported that 70 million tons are generated annually from the paper industry, a large percentage of which is simply burned as a fuel for process heat. To improve the economy of biofuel production, new value added applications of lignin are required, such as their use in high quality carbon fibers. Unfortunately, the properties of lignin-derived carbon fiber are often weak and brittle. This talk will focus on our recent neutron scattering studies that focus on understanding the correlation of lignin source on its structure in solution and the porosity of carbon fiber that is formed from renewable and non-renewable sources, with the goal of providing fundamental information that can be used to improve the properties of lignin-derived carbon fibers. We will also discuss the examination of the structure and compatibilization of lignin-synthetic polymer blends and their use as carbon fiber precursors. 

Neutron scattering studies of renewable materials for carbon fiber fabrication

245th National Meeting (2013)

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