New green carbon fibres made from lignin: In-situ study of their graphitization by X-ray scattering

Carbon fibres are widely used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, and sports equipment due to their lightweight nature and exceptional mechanical properties. However, the conventional production of carbon fibres relies on petrochemical precursors such as polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer. This proposal aims to explore lignin, a plant-derived polymer, as a sustainable alternative precursor for carbon fibre production. Its objective is to investigate in-situ, as a function of temperature, the structural and textural transformations that occur during the thermal conversion of lignin fibres into carbon fibres. Understanding these transformations is crucial for enhancing the graphitization process, which is a key determinant of the mechanical properties of the final carbon fibre.