Carbon fibers formation

Sir Joseph Swan, as a result of his quest for carbon fiber for lamp filaments (2), learned how to denitrate nitrocellulose using ammonium sulfide. In 1885 he exhibited the first textiles made from this new artificial sHk, but with carbon fiber being his main theme he failed to foUow up on the textile possibihties. Meanwhile Count Hilaire de Chardoimet (3) was researching the nitrocellulose route and had perfected his first fibers and textiles in time for the Paris Exhibition in 1889. There he got the necessary financial backing for the first Chardoimet silk factory in Besancon in 1890. His process involved treating mulberry leaves with nitric and sulfuric acids to form cellulose nitrate which could be dissolved in ether and alcohol. This collodion solution could be extmded through holes in a spinneret into warm air where solvent evaporation led to the formation of soHd cellulose nitrate filaments. 

More than 95% of current carbon fiber production for advanced composite appHcations is based on the thermal conversion of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) or pitch precursors to carbon or graphite fibers. Generally, the conversion of PAN or pitch precursor to carbon fiber involves similar process steps fiber formation, ie, spinning, stabilization to thermoset the fiber, carbonization—graphitization, surface treatment, and sizing. Schematic process flow diagrams are shown in Eigure 4. However, specific process details differ. 

In the initial stage of carbonization, it is critical to control the off-gases that evolve from the fiber as it is heated. Excessive heating rates result in void formation, stmctural dismption, and lower carbon fiber properties. 

Peebles, L. H., Carbon fibers from acrylic precursors. In Carbon Fibers Formation, Structure, and Properties. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1995, pp. 7 26. 

Henrici-Olive, G. and Olive, S. The Chemistry of Carbon Fiber Formation from Polyacrylonitrile. Vol. 51, pp. 1—60. 

It is possible to build within the formation a porous pack that is a mixture of fibers and the proppant. The fibrous material may be any suitable material (e.g., natural or synthetic organic fibers, glass fibers, ceramic fibers, carbon fibers). 

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