Abstract
Adhesion of fibers within a spun tow, including carbon fibers and precursors, is undesirable as it may interrupt the manufacturing process and entail inferior fiber properties. In this work, softwood kraft lignin was used together with a dissolving pulp to spin carbon fiber precursors. Lignin–cellulose precursors have previously been found to be prone to fiber fusion, both post-spinning and during carbon fiber conversion. In this study, the efficiency of applying different kinds of spin finishes, with respect to rendering separable precursors and carbon fibers, has been investigated. It was found that applying a cationic surfactant, and to a similar extent a nonionic surfactant, resulted in well separated lignin–cellulose precursor tows. Furthermore, the fiber separability after carbon fiber conversion was evaluated, and notably, precursors treated with a silicone-based spin finish generated the most well-separated carbon fibers. The underlying mechanism of fiber fusion post-spinning and converted carbon fibers is discussed.
Funding source: Stiftelsen à … forsk
Award Identifier / Grant number: 21-93
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Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
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Research funding: This work was financed by the ÅForsk Foundation.
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Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
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Supplementary Material
This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/hf-2023-0023).
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