Acrylic Fibre
category
Acrylic fibre is produced from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) copolymers containing ≥85% acrylonitrile (AN) monomer by weight, with 5–15% co-monomers (methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, sodium methallylsulfonate) introduced to improve solubility, dyeability, and processing — spun by wet spinning (solvent: aqueous NaSCN 50% or ZnCl₂ 60%) or dry spinning (solvent: DMF dimethylformamide or DMAc dimethylacetamide) into staple fibre predominantly. Global production 2.0 million tonnes (2023): China 55% (Jilin Chemical, Sinopec Qilu), Turkey 12% (Aksa Akrilik, world's largest single-site acrylic producer, 300,000 tonnes/year, Yalova), India 8% (Indian Acrylics, Indo Rama), Japan 6% (Toray, Mitsubishi Chemical). PAN polymer properties: Tg 87–100°C (stereoregular structure, isotactic arrangement), no distinct melting point (thermally degrades before melting at ~300°C — preventing melt spinning, requiring solvent-based spinning), excellent UV resistance (chromophore absorption in UV-B range), warm dry hand approximating wool, density 1.18 g/cm³ (lighter than wool 1.31 g/cm³). Key fibre properties: tenacity 2.0–3.5 cN/tex (lower than PET and PA — limiting high-strength applications), elongation 30–50%, moisture regain 1.0–2.5% (better than PET but lower than wool), bulkiness from high crimp, excellent shape retention (resilience), exceptional weathering resistance (Dralon outdoor furniture — grade 7–8 light fastness as fibre, accepts cationic dyes giving brilliant shades). Acrylic versus wool comparison: acrylic is the primary 'wool substitute' — lighter (1.18 versus 1.31 g/cm³), washable, cheaper ($1.20–1.60/kg acrylic versus $8–20/kg wool), but inferior moisture management (1.5% versus 15% moisture regain), pilling tendency, and electrostatic propensity versus wool.
Role
Acrylic fibre's importance lies in providing a wool-like aesthetic and thermal performance at 5–10× lower cost than wool — with its warm hand, excellent dyeability with cationic dyes producing the brightest colour range of any textile fibre, and outstanding UV and weathering resistance, acrylic dominates the value knitwear (hand-knitting yarns, machine knitwear), outdoor upholstery (awnings, marine upholstery), and carbon fibre precursor markets that collectively justify its 2 million tonne annual production despite declining share versus functional polyester alternatives.