A Comparative Study between the Properties of Composite Nanofibers of Polyacrylonitrile - Titania and Amidoxime Polyacrylonitrile - Titania

Abstract This paper compares physical properties such as surface morphology, chemical bonding, crystalline properties and thermal stability of composite nanofibers produced by reinforcing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) with 5, 8 and 11 wt% titanium isopropoxide (Tipp), as well as the strengthening of PAN modified to amidoxime polyacrylonitrile (AOPAN) with 5wt.% Tipp. To achieve the required study, field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetric analysis. The results demonstrated the emergence of new bonds when developing the PAN into AOPAN, represented by C–N and C = N groups. In contrast, no new bonds appeared at AOPAN in Tipp. As a result, the increment in the crystalline properties of the average crystal size and the percentage of crystallinity was the highest, 488.235% and 61.38%, respectively, when the PAN was developed into AOPAN compared to the results of these properties when strengthening the PAN with 5 wt. % Tipp was 222.8% and 38.56%, while properties declined when AOPAN was reinforced with 5 wt. % Tipp. The results also showed that the weight loss percentage decreased by 32.53% after producing the AOPAN as a result of a low increment in surface roughness as the root mean square by 43.95% and nanofiber diameters increased from 244.315 ± 54.721 nm to 341 ± 69 nm after the modification of PAN to AOPAN.