Development of low cost carbon fibers based on chlorinated polyvinyl chloride(CPVC) for automotive applications

[Display omitted] •Various elongation rates (50%, 100%, and 125%) improved physicochemical properties.•C-Cl peak disappears and C = C peak appears depending on the effect of carbonization.•CPVC carbon fiber with an elongation of 125% showed maximum mechanical properties.•CPVC carbon fiber with a tensile strength of 1.83 GPa can be applied to the automotive industry. CPVC fibers were prepared using a low-cost chlorinate polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) precursor using wet spinning, and various elongation rates were applied (0%, 50%, 100%, and 125%) to improve the physicochemical properties. CPVC fibers were carbonized in a nitrogen atmosphere to prepare CPVC carbon fibers, and physicochemical changes were observed by applying the same elongation rates. The CPVC fiber changed from aliphatic to aromatic carbon chemically, such as C-Cl peak intensity disappeared after carbonization and C = C bonding peak was newly discovered. After CPVC carbonization, CPVC carbon fiber, which has an elongation of 125%, has the maximum mechanical properties (tensile strength of up to 1.83GPa, modulus of 172GPa) by inducing a change in the carbon fiber structure, so it can be applied to the automotive industry in the future.