SiO2 doped carbon nanofiber by electrospinning process

Carbon nanomaterials are emerging multifunctional one-dimensional nanomaterials for advanced composites. Because they have large surface area, high strength, high elastic modulus, relatively low density, good thermal and electrical properties. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are one of the most important members of carbon nanomaterials. CNFs can be derived from some polymers by electrospinning process. Electrospinning is a simple fiber production method which uses electric force to draw charged threads of polymer solutions or polymer melts up to fiber diameters in the order of some hundred nanometers. In this study, SiO2 doped CNFs were electrospun from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solutions in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The inputted voltage and PAN content in the solution were fixed at 20-25and 30 kV and 8 wt.% in DMF with 8 cm of tip-to collector distance. The PAN/SiO2 nanofiber webs were stabilized by oxidation at 250 °C for 1 h in air and carbonized at 750 °C for 30 min in H2/N2. The resultant diameter distribution and morphologies of the CNFs were evaluated by scanning electron microscope analysis and FibraQuant 1.3 software.