Oxygenated moiety enhanced thermal stabilization, mechanical, and thermomechanical performance of polyacrylonitrile/single wall carbon nanotubes films

Abstract Thermo‐oxidative stabilization of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)‐copolymer and PAN/single‐walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) composite films were studied in the presence of oxygenated entities which may act as an internal oxygen supplier. The oxygenated moiety exhibited dual behavior, enhancing the stabilization efficiency of PAN while also improving the dispersion of SWCNT. The addition of oxygenated moiety treated SWCNT to PAN resulted in a significant reduction in activation energy from 118 kJ/mol to 99 kJ/mol, owing to a more stable oxidation reaction. Thermogravimetric analysis showed weight loss due to stabilization, and polymer chain degradation was lower in treated SWCNT composite films, resulting in an approximate 6% increase in residual weight. Mechanical testing showed a significant increase in tensile strength to 54.15 MPa and tensile modulus to 2.53 GPa with elongation at break of 13.2%, which is attributed to the enhanced interfacial shear strength resulting from the improved dispersion of oxygenated moiety‐treated nanotubes. Furthermore, thermomechanical analysis studies showed improvement in dimension stability with oxygenated moiety treated SWCNT composite films, attributed to better dispersion and increased interfacial strength between the polymer and filler. Highlights Oxygenated entities stabilize PAN and improve SWCNT dispersion. Activation energy was reduced from 118 to 99 kJ/mol with Tween‐80. Residual weight increased by 6% with treated SWCNT in TGA. Improved tensile strength (54.14 MPa), modulus (2.53 GPa) with modified SWCNT. Dimension stability is enhanced by interfacial strength with modified SWCNT.