Shear Field Engineering via Graphene Oxide for Enhanced Cyano Orientation and Crystalline Aggregation in Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Nanofibers

ABSTRACT The mechanical and functional properties of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers are significantly influenced by molecular orientation, yet achieving high orientation remains a significant challenge. In this paper, graphene oxide (GO)/PAN nanocomposite fibers were fabricated using electrospinning technology. By manipulating the flow shear field and tensile shear field, nanocomposite fibers with varying degrees of orientation were obtained. The structural evolution was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). SEM analysis revealed controlled fiber diameter distribution and morphological alignment. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy analysis confirmed strong interfacial interactions between GO sheets and PAN molecular chains, with the flow shear effects dominating orientation control over tensile shear. Under a needle length of 150 mm, an injection speed of 0.2 mm/min, a spinning voltage of 15 kV, and a drum speed of 100 r/min, the incorporation of GO increased the CN group orientation factor from 0.1655 to 0.2389, the crystallinity from 44.57% to 48.42%, and the crystallite size from 4.04 nm to 4.81 nm. This study provides a novel strategy for developing highly oriented GO/PAN nanocomposite fibers, offering new insights for the advancement of high‐performance fiber materials.