Carbon Fibers Precursors from Lignin and Cellulose Acetate via Melt-spinning

The work describes the preparation of bio-based precursor carbon fibers by a solvent-free process. Fibers from lignin, cellulose acetate and triacetin as plasticizer are successfully obtained by melt-spinning showing a potential alternative to traditional precursor fibers from petroleum produced by wet-spinning. Thermal, morphological and structural properties of precursor fibers are studied. In particular, precursor fibers present glass transition temperatures lower than neat polymers, indicating the feasibility of using melt-spinning due to an enhanced softening. Two stabilization thermal treatments with fast or slow heating are adopted to prepare the precursor fibers for carbonization. The carbon fibers yield achieves 32% for the materials at high lignin content.