Graphite carbon fibers manufacturing process

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. 

In modem commercial lithium-ion batteries, a variety of graphite powder and fibers, as well as carbon black, can be found as conductive additive in the positive electrode. Due to the variety of different battery formulations and chemistries which are applied, so far no standardization of materials has occurred. Every individual active electrode material and electrode formulation imposes special requirements on the conductive additive for an optimum battery performance. In addition, varying battery manufacturing processes implement differences in the electrode formulations. In this context, it is noteworthy that electrodes of lithium-ion batteries with a gelled or polymer electrolyte require the use of carbon black to attach the electrolyte to the active electrode materials.49-54 In the following, the characteristic material and battery-related properties of graphite, carbon black, and other specific carbon conductive additives are described. 

Three carbon fiber surfaces are compared in this study Amoco Thornel-300 graphitized at 2500 C, Hercules IM6 carbon fiber subjected to surface oxidation but with no subsequent deposition of size (oils, surfactants, or polymer films applied to facilitate manufacture and processing), and unsized IM6 treated with a radio frequency glow discharge plasma. 

Our previous papers [15,16] and the current work show that die imprinting of mesophase pitch particles with colloidal silica is an efficient technique to prepare mesoporous carbons with uniform spherical pores as well as carbons with bimodal pore size distributions. These carbons exhibit negligible amount of micropores, which can be further eliminated during graphitization process. If micropores are need, they can be created by controlled oxidation analogous to that used in the preparation of activated carbon fibers. The possibility of tailoring the size of uniform spherical mesopores is of great importance for catalysis, adsorption and other advanced applications such as die manufacture of hi -quaiity electrochemical double-layer capacitors, fuel cells and lidiium batteries. 

Schematic process for the manufacture of pitch-based carbon fibers. Source. Reprinted with permission from Brooks JD, Taylor GH, The formation of some graphitizing carbon, Walker PL Jr ed., Chemistry and Physics of Carbon, Vol 4, Marcel Dekker, New York, 168, 243-268. Copyright 1995, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.

Given the complex process to produce mesophase carbon (graphitized microbeads and fibers), natural graphite can be very competitive in terms of its manufacturing costs [18]. The physical characteristics of certain SLC type materials are extremely close to the characteristics of state-of-the-art MCMB grades. 

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