A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF THE THERMALLY STABILIZED PA6 FIBERS PRETREATED WITH AQUEOUS AND ETHANOL SOLUTION OF 1% FERRIC CHLORIDE (FeCl3) BEFORE CARBONIZATION

Abstract

An experimental study was carried out on incorporating ferric ions (Fe+3) in thermally stabilization reactions of polyamide PA6 fibers. The structure and properties of the thermally stabilized PA6 fibers were determined by fiber diameter, volume density, tensile testing, oxygen content (%), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis measurements. The accelerator effect of ferric chloride (FeCl3) impregnation was beneficial for performing thermal stabilization experiments before the carbonization stage. 1% Ferric chloride pretreated, and thermally stabilized PA6 fibers have been reported to decrease fiber diameter and linear density values. FT-IR analysis indicated rapid and concurrent aromatization and dehydrogenation reactions assisted by the formation of oxygen-containing functional groups. TGA thermograms have shown a relative improvement in thermal stability, as shown by increasing carbon efficiency over time. A thermal stability improvement was observed using TGA measurements. The carbon yield of the ferric chloride impregnated 120 min stabilized PA6 fibers reached a maximum of 58% at 1000°C. FT-IR and TGA measurements show improved thermal stability when ferric ions (Fe+3) have been incorporated into the polymer structure. The formation of ferric ionic bonds has improved thermal stabilization by promoting aromatized and cross-linked structures. Experimental results suggest that ferric chloride incorporation has been highly effective and effective in promoting thermal stabilizing reactions.