This paper reports the molecular organization and mechanical properties of electrospun, post-drawn polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers. Without post-drawing, the polymer chain was kinked and oriented in hexagonal crystalline structures. Immediate post-drawing in the semi-solid state disrupted the crystal structures and chain kink at maximum draw ratio. Structural re-orientation at maximum draw resulted in a 500% increase in Young's modulus and a 100% increase in ultimate tensile strength. By applying post-drawing to electrospinning it may be possible to obtain PAN fibers and PAN-derived carbon fibers with enhanced mechanical properties compared to available fabrication technologies.

This study investigated the effect of plastic deformation on anodic dissolution in electrochemical migration (ECM) through the growth of deposits. The morphology of deposits synthesized by ECM was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, where sponge-shaped deposits were observed on the cathode electrode. The mechanism of anodic dissolution was examined by experimentally measuring the variation in the mass of electrodes. The increase and saturation of anodic dissolution in ECM with plastic deformation were observed and were empirically formulated in terms of the change in activation energy. Thus, plastic deformation is proposed as a promising parameter that contributes to controlling ECM.