LAUSR

As one of the most important precursors, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and its functionality gained extensive attention but faced challenges in the preparation of nanofiber by electrospinning technology. Herein, poly(acrylonitrile-g-ethylene alcohol) (PAN-g-PEG) were succussfuly synthesized by the modification of PAN, using the methods of Click Chemistry and Mitsunobu reaction sequentially. Firstly, well-defined PAN was prepared by Cu(0)-mediated controlled/living radical polymerization with a molar ratio of [AN]0:[EBiB]0:[Cu]0:[TEMED]0 = 500:1:1:2. Tetrazole-containing PAN was then successfully modified by nitrile-Click Chemistry, which sodium azide and ammonium chloride was used as substrate and catalyst, respectively. Using Mitsunobu reaction, PAN-g-PEG was obtained from tetrazole-containing PAN and poly(ethyl alcohol) with the catalyst of diethyl azodicarboxylate and triphenylphosphine. After typical characterization, PAN-g-PEG nanofiber with the average diameter around 90 nm, was successfully prepared by electrospinning. The obtained PAN-g-PEG nanofiber has a smoother surface than PAN nanofiber, which suggests that a new modification approach of PAN nanofiber is successfully achieved.