Graphite particles

A siHcon carbide-bonded graphite material in which graphite particles are distributed through the siHcon carbide matrix has high thermal shock resistance and is suitable for appHcations including rocket nose cones and nozzles and other severe thermal shock environments (155) (see Ablative materials). 

Differences in alloy carbon concentration, heat treatment, and mechanical forming usually produce only small differences in corrosion rate in a pH range of 4—10. It is less certain how corrosion rates vary at high and low pH due to these factors. Cast irons containing graphite particles may experience a unique form of attack called graphitic corrosion (see Chap. 17, Graphitic Corrosion ). 

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) is the technique best suited for the structural characterization of nanometer-sized graphitic particles. In-situ processing of fullerene-related structures may be performed, and it has been shown that carbonaceous materials transform themselves into quasi-spherical onion-like graphitic particles under the effect of intense electron irradiation[l 1],... 

In this paper, we analyze the methods of synthesizing multi-shell fullerene structures and try to gather some information about their formation mechanism. We also discuss some particularities of the energetics of onion-like graphitic particles. The understanding of the parameters involved would allow the development of efficient production procedures. 

Fig. I. High-resolution electron micrographs of graphitic particles (a) as obtained from the electric arc-deposit, they display a well-defined faceted structure and a large inner hollow space, (b) the same particles after being subjected to intense electron irradiation (note the remarkable spherical shape and the disappearance of the central empty space) dark lines represent graphitic layers.

Onion-like graphitic clusters have also been generated by other methods (a) shock-wave treatment of carbon soot [16] (b) carbon deposits generated in a plasma torch[17], (c) laser melting of carbon within a high-pressure cell (50-300 kbar)[l8]. For these three cases, the reported graphitic particles display a spheroidal shape. 

Fig. 2. HREM image of a quasi-spherical onion-like graphitic particles generated by electron irradiation (dark lines represent graphitic shells, and distance between layers is 0.34 nm).

Fig. 3. Schematic illustration of the growth process of a graphitic particle (a)-(d) polyhedral particle formed on the electric arc (d)-(h) transformation of a polyhedral particle into a quasi-spherical onion-like particle under the effect of high-energy electron irradiation in (f) the particle collapses and eliminates the inner empty space[25j. In both schemes, the formation of graphite layers begins at the surface and progresses towards the center.

The elimination of the energetic dangling bonds present at the edges of a tiny graphite sheet is supposed to be the driving force to induce curvature and closure in fullerenes this phenomenon is also associated with the formation of larger systems, such as nanotubes and graphitic particles. 

Fig. 4. Onion-like graphitic particles formed by three concentric layers (C o, C240, Cs4o) polyhedral (marked P) and spherical (marked S) structures. For clarity, only a half pan of each shell is shown.

The final section of the volume contains three complementary review articles on carbon nanoparticles. The first by Y. Saito reviews the state of knowledge about carbon cages encapsulating metal and carbide phases. The structure of onion-like graphite particles, the spherical analog of the cylindrical carbon nanotubes, is reviewed by D. Ugarte, the dominant researcher in this area. The volume concludes with a review of metal-coated fullerenes by T. P. Martin and co-workers, who pioneered studies on this topic. 

Alternative explanations of the high conductivity of composite materials obtained by polymerization filling are given in works [62, 63] where conductivity higher than that of the graphite proper is attributed to a polymer interlayer between graphite particles, are, in our opinion, insufficiently convincing and cannot explain the whole of the experimental data. 

The compound can be produced with any arbitrary PCM and can also be brought into any arbitrary form e.g. by injection molding. The final result has a similar volumetric composition as the PCM-graphite matrix, which is 10 vol. % graphite, 80 vol. % PCM and 10 vol. % air. The thermal conductivity however is only about 4-5 W/m K due to the loose contact between the graphite particles in the compound. Nevertheless, compared to the pure PCM, the thermal conductivity is still enhanced by a factor of 5-20. 

The reaction at the anode in Li-Ion cells is given in Equation 1. During charge the lithium ions approach the surface of the carbon where they accept an electron and enter the lattice. On discharge, the opposite reaction occurs. The electrochemical reaction is thought to occur on the edge planes and not the basal plane of the carbon/graphite particles. 

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