Experimental investigation of the microstructures and tensile properties of polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers exposed to elevated temperatures in air

The elevated temperature resistance and even fire resistance of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites were critical concerns in many applications. These properties of a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer depend not only on the degradation of the polymer matrix but also on that of the carbon fibers under elevated temperatures. In this study, influences of elevated temperatures (by 700°C for 30 min) in air on the mechanical properties and microstructures of a carbon fiber were investigated experimentally. It was found that the tensile strength and modulus as well as the diameters of the carbon fibers were reduced remarkably when the treatment temperatures exceeded 500°C. At the same time, the content of the structurally ordered carbonaceous components on the surface of carbon fibers and the graphite microcrystal size were reduced, while the graphite interlayer spacing ( d002) was enhanced. The deteriorated tensile modulus was attributed to the reduced graphite microcrystal size and the reduced thickness of the skin layer of the carbon fiber, while the degraded tensile strength was mainly attributed to the weakened cross-linking between the graphite planes.