Graphite anisotropic

Graphitic/Anisotropic Pitch, CVD Non-graphitic/ Isotropic PAN, Resin... 

The specific resistance of natural graphite crystals is ca Hem (room temperature) along the a axis parallel to the network basal plane. The resistance along the c axis (perpendicular to the basal plane) is ca 1 Q. The cja axis anisotropy ratio is, therefore, ca 10 . Screw dislocations within the crystal may short-circuit the current path parallel to the c axis and cause lower anisotropic ratios separation of planes may cause higher anisotropic ratios. 

Fibers produced from pitch precursors can be manufactured by heat treating isotropic pitch at 400 to 450°C in an inert environment to transform it into a hquid crystalline state. The pitch is then spun into fibers and allowed to thermoset at 300°C for short periods of time. The fibers are subsequendy carbonized and graphitized at temperatures similar to those used in the manufacture of PAN-based fibers. The isotropic pitch precursor has not proved attractive to industry. However, a process based on anisotropic mesophase pitch (30), in which commercial pitch is spun and polymerized to form the mesophase, which is then melt spun, stabilized in air at about 300°C, carbonized at 1300°C, and graphitized at 3000°C, produces ultrahigh modulus (UHM) carbon fibers. In this process tension is not requited in the stabilization and graphitization stages. 

C. R. Kenedy, Fracture Toughness of Anisotropic Graphites, Extended Abstracts and Program - 17 Biennial Conference on Carbon, Pub American Carbon Society, 1985, pp 289 290... 

Simply Supported Square Graphite-Epoxy Anisotropic Plates (After Whitney [5-24])... 

Several structural characterisations of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with the cylindrical graphite are reviewed from the viewpoint of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Especially, electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) by using an energy-fdtered TEM is applied to reveal the dependence of fine structure of EELS on the diameter and the anisotropic features of CNTs. 

Boron nitride has two crystalline forms, hexagonal (h-BN) and cubic (c-BN), with much different properties. Hexagonal BN is the more important and has many industrial applications. Its structure is similar to that of graphite which it resembles in many ways. It has a very large anisotropy in the crystal with resulting anisotropic properties. 

Isotropic carbon is obtained by the pyrolysis of a hydrocarbon, usually methane, at high temperature (1200-1500°C) in a fluidized bed on a graphite substrate.Under these conditions, a turbostratic structure is obtained which is characterized by very little ordering and an essentially random orientation of small crystallites. In contrast to graphite which is highly anisotropic, such a structure has isotropic properties (see Ch. 7). Isotropic carbon is completely inert biologically. Its properties are compared to alumina, another common implant material, in Table 17.8. Notable is its high strain to failure. 

The idea of electronic conductivity in the crystals of this cluster is stimulated by the metallic reflectance of the crystals. A potential conductivity is expected to be anisotropic because of the anisotropic order of the clusters inside the crystal. As a consequence, the electric resistance is expected to be smaller in the direction of the tubes than in the vertical direction where there is no graphite-like bridging between the clusters. 

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