Aqueous Photoiniferter\nPolymerization of Acrylonitrile

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is a key industrial polymer for\nthe production\nof carbon fiber for high-strength, lightweight composite material\napplications, with an estimated 90% of the carbon fiber market relying\non PAN-based polymers. Traditionally, PAN synthesis is achieved by\nconventional radical polymerization, resulting in broad molecular\nweight distributions and the use of toxic organic solvents or surfactants\nduring the synthesis. Additionally, attempts to improve polymer and\nprocessing properties by controlled radical polymerization methods\nsuffer from low monomer conversions and struggle to achieve molecular\nweights suitable for producing high-performance carbon fiber. In this\nstudy, we present an aqueous photoiniferter (aqPI) polymerization\nof acrylonitrile, achieving high monomer conversion and high PAN molecular\nweights with significantly faster kinetics and dispersity control\nwhen compared to traditional methods. This approach allows for the\nunprecedented control of polymer properties that are integral for\ndownstream processing for enhanced carbon fiber production.