Effect of Furfuraldehyde on the Polymerization of Acrylonitrile Initiated by Benzoyl Peroxide

PAN (polyacrylonitrile) is a synthetic, semicrystalline organic polymer resin, with the linear formula (C3H3N)n. PAN is one of the versatile polymers that is widely used for making membranes due to its good solvent resistance property. It has been used as a substrate for NF (nanofiltration) and RO (reverse osmosis). The thermosetting characteristic offered by PAN makes it suitable as a carbon membrane precursor. It usually does not liquefy or soften during any stage of pyrolysis and preserves its morphology upon the pyrolysis. In the present study, effect of Furfuraldehyde on the polymerization of acrylonitrile initiated by benzoyl peroxide has been studied. The different techniques like, FT-IR and UV-VIS were used for characterization. The UV-VIS study showed that the rate of polymerization of acrylonitrile decreases with increase in the concentration of furfuraldehyde. The FT-IR study proves the successful interaction of polyacrylonitrile with Furfuraldehyde.