Fabrication of Polyimide (PI) - Graphene Oxide Nanoribbon (GONR) Composite Fibers by Wet Spinning

Abstract

Polyimide (PI) is a high performance polymer that exhibits high tensile strengh, modulus and thermal resistance. Many research for improving physical properties of PI has been focused on its composites with functional fillers. GONRs are longitudinally unzippped carbon nanotube under oxidation conditions. It is highly dispersable in polar solvents such as NMP and water due to its many oxygen-containing functionalities. Herein, we incorporated GONR into PI fiber to improve mechanical properties. GONR with high aspect ratio is expected to generate load-transfer between non-adjacent PI strands using π- π interaction. Prepared PI-GONR composite fibers by wet-spinning in NMP displayed enhanced tensile strength compared to pristine PI fiber. In addition, we would discuss mechanical properties of carbonized (> 1200 ℃) fibers of PI-GONR composites.