Polyacrylonitrile is the most common precursor used to make carbon fiber.
Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is a synthetic resin prepared by polymerization of acrylonitrile.
It belongs to the important family of acrylic resins and is a tough and rigid thermoplastic material that, resistant to most solvents and chemicals, burns slowly and has a low permeability to gases. As a PAN plastic, it is also used in moulded parts and engineered components where chemical resistance and stiffness are critical.
Fibers obtained by precision cutting in a wide range of cutting diameters and lengths are used for REINFORCEMENT in a wide variety of industrial applications. These include the manufacture of adhesives, castings, composite materials (“composites”), filters, acid battery plates, paints, paper, sealants and refractory materials.
It is considered an added-value polymer as, besides of reinforcing the application where it is included, this material has intumescent behaviour (fire protective) and several studies reveal an increase of the matrix-fibre union strength compared to other traditional fibres on mortars and pavements.
The acrylic PAN fibre pulp is as an alternative to partially replace other expensive fibres such as aramid or even asbestos for the manufacture of brake pads and clutch discs. TGA shows its high thermal stability and carbonization process, keeping 40% of its initial weight.
RIMSA supplies the following varieties of polyacrylonitrile fiber
PAN polymer: properties and structure of polyacrylonitrile
Polyacrylonitrile is a long-chain polymer formed by linking together acrylonitrile monomers. As a thermoplastic resin, the PAN polymer is rigid, hard and chemically stable, which makes it suitable for industrial applications where exposure to solvents, acids or moderate heat would degrade more common plastics. The alternating carbon backbone with nitrile groups gives PAN its characteristic mechanical strength, and it is also the reason why the material is the preferred precursor for carbon fiber production: under controlled heating, those nitrile groups drive the cyclisation and carbonisation reactions.
In raw form, PAN polymer is generally a white or off-white powder or granulate, with a density close to 1.18 g/cm³ and a glass transition temperature around 95 °C. Some industrial grades modify the base polymer with comonomers such as methyl acrylate or vinyl acetate to fine-tune textile performance, melt processability or dye uptake. These engineering tweaks allow polyacrylonitrile polymer to serve markets as different as protective clothing, filtration media and high-performance composites.
PAN fibers and applications beyond carbon fiber
While PAN is best known as the precursor for carbon fiber, polyacrylonitrile fiber in its acrylic form has a wide range of applications of its own. Cut and dispersed in a matrix, PAN fibers act as a low-cost reinforcement that improves tensile strength, impact resistance and crack control without the price tag of aramid or asbestos.
Typical uses for PAN fibers include reinforced mortars and pavements, friction materials such as brake pads and clutch discs, gaskets and seals, filtration membranes, paper additives, and composite parts where a polymer-based fibre helps balance weight and durability. The fibers also bring an intumescent fire-protective behaviour to the formulation, which is an added benefit in applications subject to thermal stress.
For brake and clutch formulations specifically, PAN fiber pulp replaces a fraction of more expensive fibres without sacrificing the structural behaviour of the pad. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that PAN retains about 40 % of its initial weight under high temperature, confirming its thermal stability in friction applications.
Other products
Chips and Fibers
Polyacrylonitrile fiber, is a high flexibility and good thermal stability synthetic…