Production of carbon fibers from eucalyptus bark lignin by electrospinning

Abstract

Electrospinning process was used to prepare carbon fibers from three types of lignin including Commercial Kraft Lignin (CKL), Wood Soda Lignin (WSL) and Bark Soda Lignin (BSL). Wood and Bark lignin was extracted from Eucalyptus wood by soda pulping process. The lignin was characterized by FT-IR spectrometer, viscometer and thermal gravimetric analysis. The lignin was dissolved in DMF at various concentrations and PEO were used as polymer blender. The solution was electrospun using various conditions. Lignin fibers were characterized by scan electron microscope to investigate their morphology. Uniform fibers could be formed from CKL and WSL precursor, while the fibers from BSL lignin resulted in non-uniform short fibers. The average diameter of the fibers was affected by both applied voltage and the distance between tip and collector. Carbon fibers could be formed by stabilizing and carbonizing the lignin fibers.