Surface modification of polyacrylonitrile fibers for superabsorbent fibers

摘要

Superabsorbent fibers based on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers were studied. To achieve superabsorbent fibers, PAN fibers were hydrolyzed by sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and then crosslinked by glutaraldehyde. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed to analyze the hydrolysis of PAN fibers by means of the developed functional groups. Microscopic investigation was carried out to investigate the surface structure of hydrolyzed PAN fibers. It was found that the hydrolysis led to the non-homogeneity and erosion of the fiber surface, so that a superabsorbent film was formed on the fiber surface. The absorbency behaviors in deionized water and saline aqueous solution were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the absorbency of the crosslinked fibers decreased with the increase of glutaraldehyde used during the crosslinking reaction. Thus, the optimal reaction conditions were found out.