Mechanical and electrical properties of MCMB/Chopped carbon fiber composite with different bead size

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 9; no. 1; p. 7065
• Main Authors: Im, Ui-Su, Kim, Jiyoung, Lee, Byung-Rok, Peck, Dong-Hyun, Jung, Doo-Hwan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 08.05.2019; Nature Publishing Group UK
• Subjects: Carbon; Carbon fibers; Electrical properties; Microspheres
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43480-4

The carbonization and graphitization of carbon/carbon (C/C) composites prepared from mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) and chopped carbon fiber (CCF) have been studied with a wide range of temperatures, CCF contents and MCMB sizes. Three different sizes of MCMB were prepared with coal tar pitch at three temperatures, 420, 430 and 440 °C, and identified as about 12.8, 16.0 and 20.1 µm, respectively. Each size of MCMB was mixed with CCFs at ratios of 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt. % and formed into block shape. After carbonization at 1200 °C, carbonized C/C blocks (CCBs) were graphitized at 2000, 2400 and 2800 °C. The CCB prepared with CCF content of 2 wt. % and an MCMB size of 16.0 µm exhibited the highest flexural strength of about 151 MPa. The graphitized C/C block (GCB) with CCF content of 2 wt. %, which was graphitized at 2000 °C showed the highest flexural strength of about 159 MPa.