POLYACRYLONITRILE

PREPARED BY:
NURSYAFIQAH AIMINATRAH BINTI MOHD NOORNASROL HARDY (2017529363)
NADIA SYAHIRA BINTI MASALAN @ MAZLAN (2017501109)
NUR YUMNI ZALIKHA BINTI ABD MALEK (2017786603)
NURHAZIQ HADWAN BIN NORHAN (2017420214)
SITI NOORHANIS BINTI AHAMAD POZER (2017889582)
 INTRODUCTION
 Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) aka Creslan 61 is a synthetic resin prepared by the
polymerization of acrylonitrile with the linear formula (C3H3N)n
 A member of the important family of acrylic resins, it is a hard, rigid
thermoplastic material that is resistant to most solvents and chemicals, slow
to burn, and of low permeability to gases.
 Acrylonitrile (CH2=CHCN) is obtained by reacting propylene (CH2=CHCH3)
with ammonia (NH3) and oxygen in the presence of catalyst
 Most polyacrylonitrile is produced as acrylic and modacrylic fibre, a common
substitute for wool in clothing and home furnishings.
 The acrylonitrile repeating unit of the polymer has the following structure:
 Acrylonitrile monomer (single-unit molecules) are suspended, almost
always in combination with other monomers, as fine droplets in water and
are induced to polymerize to PAN through the action free- radical initiators.
 PAN has none of the hazardous properties of monomer.
 Owing to the formation of strong chemical bonds between the nitrile (CN)
groups, the polymer molecules resist more organic solvents and do not melt
without decomposing
 In most cases the polymer is dissolved in special solvents and spun into
acrylic fibres, which are defined as fibers that contain 85% or more of PAN
 Because PAN is difficult to dissolve and is highly resistant to dyeing, very
little fibre is produced containing PAN alone.
 THE MECHANISM OF
POLYACRYLONITRILE
 INITIATION
• ADDITION OF INITIATOR
 PROPAGATION
• TERMINATION (REARRANGEMENT)
 THE DISCOVERY OF THE
REACTION / PROCESS
 First synthesized in 1930 by Hans Fikentscher and Claus Heuck in Ludwiqshafen
 However PAN is non-fusible, hence further research into the material was
halted.
 In 1931, Herbert Rein found that pyridinium benzylchloride, an ionic liquid,
would dissolve PAN.
 In 1942, he discovered a better solvent, namely dimethylformamide or DMF,
and began developing methods to process PAN into fibres and films.
 Due to wartime stresses on infrastructure, large-scale production of PAN in
Germany remained unfeasible for several years.
 The first mass production of PAN fibre was in 1946 by DuPont and branded as
Orlon.
 PROPERTIES OF
POLYACRYLONITRILE
Properties
 Low permeability of gases
Chemical formula C3H3N
Molar mass 53.0626 ±
 Hard and rigid thermoplastic materials
0.0028g/mol
Appearance White solid
 Slow to burn
Density 1,184 g/cm3
Melting point 300°C ( 573 K )
 Chemical and solvents resistant
Boiling point Degrades
Solubility in Insoluable
 Low density
water
 THERMAL PROPERTIES
OF POLYACRYLONITRILE
 Polyacrylonitrile is thermoplastic, it does not melt under normal conditions.
It degrades before melting.
Melting point > 300°C if the Glass transition
Degradation temperature heating rates are temperature
above 300 °C around 95 °C
50 degrees / min or above

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF
POLYACRYLONITRILE
 High tensile strength and tensile modulus – established by fiber sizing,
coatings , production process , and PAN fiber.
• Theoretical modulus of polyacrylonitrile is around 35 – 55 GPa
 THE DEVELOPMENT
(RECENT SIGNIFICANT APPLICATION
IN DAILY LIFE )
 Almost all of the PAN produced for commercial applications are
copolymers made from monomer mixtures with acrylonitrile as the main
component.
 PAN when heated to 200°C turns into a rigid structure with great energy
release, a phenomenon known as cyclization. Above this temperature is
oxidized making it non-flammable.
 If heated to above 1000 degrees under inert atmosphere yields a product
of greater than 90 % carbon. This property is used for carbon fibre
production.
 Due to PAN’s special properties such as low density, thermal stability, high
strength and modulus of elasticity, stability to UV degradation, non-fusible and
chemical resistance, make it an essential polymer for high technological and
textile applications.
- The PAN has been used of this discovery mainly for textile applications due to its
wool-like characteristics.
- All fibres production is carried out by 2 processes only, known as wet spinning
and dry spinning
- The other main carbon fibre, accounting for about 90% of its world production
Other application of Polyacrylonitrile are :
Homo polymers of Polyacrylonitrile have been used as
• Fibers in hot gas filtration systems
• Outdoor awnings
• Sails for yachts
• Fiber reinforced concrete
Mostly copolymers containing Polyacrylonitrile are used as
• Fibers to make knitted clothing, like socks and sweaters
• Outdoor products like tents
 REFERENCES
Gupta, K. (2008, May 8). Polymer Science Learning Center -
Polyacrylonitrile. Retrieved May 20, 2018, from
https://www.britannica.com/science/polyacrylonitrile
Sada K., Kokado K., Furukawa Y. (2014) Polyacrylonitrile (PAN). In:
Kobayashi S., Müllen K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Polymeric Nanomaterials.
Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Perera, K.S., Dissanayake, M.A.K.L., Skaarup, S. et al. J Solid State
Electrochem (2008) 12: 873. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-007-0479-x