Microstructure of polyacrylonitrile-based activated carbon fibers prepared from solvent-free coagulation process

Polyacrylonitrile precursor fibers prepared using a solvent-free coagulation process were stabilized, carbonized, and physically activated by carbon dioxide into activated carbon fibers (ACFs). The activation temperature varied from 600 to 900 °C while the activation time was 1 h. Atomic force microscopy was used to observe the surface morphology, as well as the surface roughness of the ACFs. Higher pyrolysis temperature formed rougher surfaces, and increased the pore sizes. Meanwhile, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed more conversion of oxygen containing functional groups to carbonaceous materials as the activation temperature increased. Moreover, the microstructure properties were thoroughly characterized by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. XRD analysis showed that the activation of the ACFs shrank the ordered structure, reducing the D-spacing from 0.358 to 0.347 nm for the fibers prepared at activation temperatures of 600 to 900 °C. Meanwhile, XPS analysis concluded that that the oxygen containing functional groups were still retained even at high activation temperatures while the nitrogen containing functional groups were reduced during the high temperature activation in the CO2 atmosphere.