TITLE:
Preparation and Alkylation of Carbon Nanofibers from Polymethyl Methacrylate
AUTHORS:
Stephen Mukhebi Situma, Geoffrey Otieno, Austin O. Aluoch, Dickson M. Andala, James Owour
KEYWORDS:
Polymethyl Methacrylate, Electrospinning Carbon Nanofibres, Alkylation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering,
Vol.12 No.9,
September
18,
2024
ABSTRACT: Carbon nanofibers have revolutionized nanotechnology due to their potential applications in emerging frontiers of research and industrial sectors. This can be attributed to their superior properties such as higher mechanical strength, unique surface characteristics, and improved adherence that is transmitted into the polymer matrix to form a nanocomposite with improved properties. Polymethyl methacrylate is a common carbon source for the synthesis of carbon nanofibres of its high mechanical strength, thermal stability, and low moisture and water absorbing capacity that allows its products to have several applications. In this work, we report the successful electrospinning of carbon nanofibres from Poly methyl methacrylate and functionalizing the resulting carbon nanofibres. The functionalized carbon nanofibres were analyzed to determine their solubility/dispersion in selected organic solvents, then characterized using Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy combined with Energy dispersive spectroscopy and Thermalgravimetric analysis.