Catalytic initiation of polyacrylonitrile stabilization

A catalytic surface treatment of polyacrylonitrile fibres by dibutyltin dimethoxide is investigated as to its capacity to facilitate the stabilization of the fibres to produce a satisfactory carbon fibre precursor. The stabilization is based on a combination of the catalytic treatment step and of the usual thermal oxidation step which follows. The effectiveness of the surface treatment is determined through comparing physical, thermal and mechanical properties of stabilized fibres with and without catalytic pre-treatment. The results show that a 1 minute catalytic treatment shortens the usual 220°C thermal oxidation process by at least 2 hours, and that the process is applicable in particular to polyacrylonitrile fibres which are 'slow oxidizers' in general due to their chemical composition.