Silicon treated polyolefin carbon fibers

Abstract

A carbonaceous fiber is prepared from a polyolefin fiber. The polyolefin fiber is stabilized and is treated with a silicon source. In one instance the silicon source is a siloxane. In one instance the polyolefin fiber is stabilized by sulfonation. In one instance the carbonaceous fiber has 90-100 weight percent Carbon, 0.1-1 weight percent Silicon, 0.1-1 weight percent Nitrogen.

1 . A process comprising treating a polyolefin fiber with a silicon source. 
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the polyolefin fiber is a stabilized polyolefin fiber. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 2 , further characterized by the stabilized polyolefin fiber being stabilized by sulfonation. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1 , further characterized by the polyolefin fiber being a copolymer comprising one or any combination or more than one of ethylene, propylene, butadiene and/or styrene units. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1 , further characterized by the silicon source comprising siloxane, cyclic siloxane, or polydiorganosiloxane oligomer (cyclic or linear hydroxyl end-terminated). 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 5 , wherein the silicon source is an aqueous siloxane source. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein the aqueous siloxane source comprises an aqueous bath of siloxane having a siloxane concentration of at least 0.1 weight percent siloxane. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising heating the fiber to a temperature of 1000° C. or higher in an inert atmosphere so as to convert the stabilized polyolefin fiber into a carbon fiber. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 8 , further characterized by disposing sufficient silicon on the stabilized polyolefin fiber so that the resulting carbon fiber has a silicon concentration of one mole-percent or more. 
     
     
         10 . A carbonaceous article comprising:
 a fiber having 90-100 weight percent Carbon, 0.1-1 weight percent Silicon, 0.1-1 weight percent Nitrogen.