Manjusri Misra
University of Guelph, Canada
Title: Emerging Electrospun Lignin Fibers: Carbonization and Characterization
Biography
Biography: Manjusri Misra
Abstract
Lignin, a natural polymer synthesized by plants, has been studied as a renewable, low-cost, and highly available precursor for production of nano to a few micro diameter carbonized fibers. Annually about 40 to 50 million tons of lignin is produced as the byproduct of paper and cellulosic ethanol industries and it is the mostly non-commercialized residue. In this research, electrospinning of lignin followed by carbonization of the fibers have been studied. Carbonization was performed by following a two stage process, i.e., thermal stabilization in air followed by carbonization in nitrogen atmosphere. The effects of lignin type, binder polymer type, and carbonization conditions on the properties of carbonized fibers were studied. The properties of interest include morphology studies by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy; carbon structure studies by Raman and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy; surface area measurements; thermal and electrical conductivities of the carbonized material.