Melt spinnable copolymers from polyacrylonitrile, method for producing fibers or fiber precursors by means of melt spinning, and fibers produced accordingly

A melt-spinnable copolymer of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), which is producible by copolymerisation of 99.9 to 80% by mol of acrylonitrile with at least one comonomer selected from

• a) 0.1 to less than 5% by mol of at least one alkoxyalkylacrylate of the general formula I,
• with R=CnH2n+1 and n=1-18 and m=1-8,
• b) 0 to 10% by mol of at least one alkylacrylate of the general formula II
• with R=CnH2n+1 and n=1-18,
• c) 0 to 10% by mol of at least one vinyl ester of the general formula III
• with R=CnH2n+1 and n=1-18, and
• d) 0 to 10% by mol of at least one vinyl ether of the general formula IV
• with R=CnH2n+1 and n=1-18, the sum of the comonomers a) to d) being at most 20% by mol and the copolymer having an average-weight molar mass (Mw) in the range of 10,000 to 150,000 g/mol.

A method for the production of fibres or fibre precursors by melt-spinning, in which

• i) a copolymerisation of 99.9 to 80% by mol of acrylonitrile with at least one comonomer selected from
• a) 0.1 to less than 5% by mol of at least one alkoxyalkylacrylate of the general formula I,
• with R=CnH2n+1 and n=1-18,
• b) 0 to 10% by mol of at least one alkylacrylate of the general formula II
• with R=CnH2n+1 and n=1-18,
• c) 0 to 10% by mol of at least one vinyl ester of the general formula III
• with R=CnH2n+1 and n=1-18, and
• d) 0 to 10% by mol of at least one vinyl ether of the general formula IV
• with R=CnH2n+1 and n=1-18, the sum of the comonomers a) to d) being at most 20% by mol, is implemented in the presence of at least one initiator, and
• ii) the copolymer is spun with a melt-spinning unit comprising an extruder, a melt pump, and at least one nozzle suitable for spinning, to form mono- or multifilaments.