Thermal-crosslinked polyacrylonitrile fiber compacts

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) textile fibers, in the form of fabrics or threads, were compacted in a heat-pressure cycle and crosslinked by nitrile polymerization to form a thermoset composite article, whose mechanical properties were found to surpass those of commercially available polypropylene (PP) fiber counterparts. Additional advantages of the PAN compacts included their significant thermal stability (>300°C, i.e., twice that of PP) in addition to their flame retardancy, thereby rendering them as the structural material of choice for applications where heat protection and fire resistance are essential.