Magnetic polyacrylonitrile-Fe@FeO nanocomposite fibers - Electrospinning, stabilization and carbonization

Uniform and bead-free pure polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and its magnetic polymer nanocomposite (PNC) fibers reinforced with different core-shell Fe@FeO nanoparticles (NPs) loadings are prepared using electrospinning method. The morphology of the resulting products is correlated to the corresponding theological behaviors of the pure PAN and PAN/Fe@FeO solutions. The diameter of the PAN fibers is linearly related to the polymer solution concentration. However, with a fixed PAN concentration of 10 wt %, the Fe@FeO NP loading shows a negligible effect on the morphology of the PNC fibers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results indicate an enhanced thermal stability of the PNC fibers than that of the pure PAN fibers. Magnetic carbon nanocomposite (MCNC) fibers are prepared through the stabilization and carbonization of the electrospun PNC fibers. The effects of the heating procedures, including the stabilization and carbonization temperature and time, on the fiber morphology are systematically investigated. Both short and long MCNC fibers could be easily produced by changing the heat procedures. Room temperature magnetic properties of the nanocomposite fibers based on different heating procedures are also studied in this work. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.