Preparation of General Purpose Carbon Fibers by the Two-Step Method from Ethylene Tar Pitch

Abstract:

In this paper, besides the single method of air blowing and thermal condensation, a new two-step combining method was taken to modulate the pitch precursor for carbon fibers: the ethylene tar pitch was first air-blown under 280 °C for 10 h, and then thermal-condensed in nitrogen under 380 °C. Then group composition, elemental and thermal analysis, FT-IR, SEM and polarized optical micrographs were used in this paper, and the influence of different methods of modulation on the performance of pitches was discussed. The results revealed that neither in the method of air blowing nor thermal treatment can the pitch with a high softening point and coking value but no mesophase be produced. However, isotropic spinnable pitch with high softening point (286 °C), coking value (80.2%) and superior thermal stabilities can be synthesized in the two-step combining method. Carbon fibers from such pitches had been produced through melt-spinning, stabilization and carbonization, they showed uniform diameters (about 15.5 μm) with smooth and homogeneous surfaces. After stabilization and carbonization, the shrinkage of carbon fibers’ diameter was limited to 6%.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 182-183)
• Pages: 198-202
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.182-183.198
• Online since: June 2012
• Authors: Zhi Wu Yang, Jia Ming Zheng, Ming Ming Chen, Cheng Yang Wang
• Keywords: Carbon Fiber (CF), Ethylene Tar Pitch, High Coking Value, Isotropic Pitch, Two-Step Treatment

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