Investigating the Influence of Thermal Stabilization on PAN/Aluminum-Doped Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanofibers

To create a magnetic nanofiber composite (NFC) with improved magnetic characteristics, we synthesized aluminum-doped iron oxide nanoparticles and embedded them in a PAN/DMF solution at concentrations of 4 and 8 wt.% of the polymer. Subsequently, electrospinning was employed to fabricate magnetic fibers at the nano scale. The next phase involved subjecting these NFCs to a heat stabilization process in a furnace at 250˚C (under air atmosphere) for 1 hour. Following this, FESEM, FTIR, XRD, and VSM techniques were utilized to analyze the morphology, chemical structure, and magnetic properties. The outcomes revealed that in PAN/Aluminum-doped iron oxide NFCs, the morphologies were smooth and devoid of beads, indicating accurate parameter selection during electrospinning. Additionally, magnetic properties exhibited a significant increase compared to pure PAN, and the diameter of the nanofibers decreased due to the presence of magnetic nanoparticles. Heat stabilization of pure PAN nanofibers also enhanced their magnetic properties by inducing molecular structure changes. Furthermore, integrating magnetic nanoparticles with heat-stabilized PAN further boosted magnetization. Notably, the impact of heat stabilization was more pronounced at lower nanoparticle concentrations, as PAN's inherent magnetic properties were significantly lower than those of the magnetic nanoparticles.