Carbon Fibres from Partially Oriented Polyethylene Precursors

Earlier work has shown that carbon fibres can be produced from highly oriented polyethylene precursors ⁽¹⁾ . Polyethylene fibres are attractive as carbon fiber precursors due to their high carbon content and ease of manufacture. In this research, an effort is made to produce carbon fiber from a partially oriented polyethylene fiber. Stabilisation of the fibres was carried out using sulphonation by crosslinking. Being a diffusion controlled process, stabilisation of partially oriented polyethylene precursors can be achieved in less time than that of highly oriented polyethylene fibres. The progress of reactions and the extent of stabilisation was studied by thermal analyses (Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Thermogravimetric Analysis) and other techniques. The structure and properties of the carbon fibres produced from partially oriented polyethylene precursors were investigated.