Highly oriented pyrolytic graphite defects

The actual utility of this discovery depends on the ability to go from hosts consisting of expensive, highly oriented, pyrolytic graphite to hosts composed of cheap graphite powders or fibers. Care must be taken on intercalation, because defects in such low-rank graphites may affect not only the intrinsic conductivity of the host (Z4) but may also serve as sites for oxidative reactions that may disrupt the host (Ell). 

Yamanaka, K. (1996). UFM observation of lattice defects in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. Thin Solid Films 273, 116-21. [314]... 

Not only are the layer planes small and defective, they are also stacked with twists and tilts between them. This twisting of the layers with respect to each other gives rise to the term turbostratic carbon for these materials. The turbostratic, well-oriented, substrate-nucleated pyrocarbons are ideal candidates for graphitization, and the highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) used for X-ray and neutron monochromators is produced from these precursors. ... 

Robinson, R., Stemitzke, K., McDermott, M. et al. 1991. Morphology and electrochemical effects of defects on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. J. Electrochem. Soc. 138 2412-2418. 

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