Effect of Coagulation Bath DMSO Concentration on the Structure and Properties of Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) Nascent Fibers during Wet-Spinning

Polyacrylonitrile nascent fibers, as spun into the coagulation bath, were prepared by solution polymerization and wet-spinning, and a dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO)/H2O coagulation bath system was adopted. The effect of coagulation bath DMSO concentration on the structure and properties of the nascent fibers was studied in detail, and the diffusion coefficients of DMSO and H2O for different bath DMSO concentrations were calculated by Crank's equation to explain the structural changes of the nascent fibers, including cross-section, core/shell structure, and surface morphology. The surface morphology of nascent fibers was observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results showed that as the coagulation bath DMSO concentration increased, the diffusion coefficients gradually decreased. More circular cross-section, less core/shell structure, higher degree of crystallinity, larger crystal size, larger bulk density, and higher sound velocity of the nascent fibers were obtained when thecoagulation bath DMSO concentration was 70 wt% compared to lower or higher bath DMSO concentration. Moreover, compared with the nascent fibers spun in other bath DMSO concentrations, smoother surfaces of the nascent fibers were obtained at the bath DMSO concentration of 70 wt%.