Processing, structure, and properties of carbon nano fiber filled PBZT composite fiber

The poly(p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBZT)/carbon nano fiber (CNF) composite was prepared by in situ polymerization in polyphosphoric acid (PPA), and fibers spun by dry-jet wet spinning. The liquid crystalline PBZT/CNF dope in PPA exhibited excellent spinnability. The PBZT/CNF weight ratio was 90/10. The transmission electron microscope images show isolated and well oriented CNFs with no aggregation. CNF graphite layer stacking in the composite fiber have been observed using high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and showed that graphitic structure of CNFs was not damaged during polymerization in PPA and subsequent fiber spinning and drawing. High resolution transmission electron microscopy also shows that there is no debonding between CNF and the PBZT matrix. Tensile and compressive properties of the composite fibers have been determined and discussed.