Synthesis of isotropic carbon fibers from coal extracts

Book · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:504692

Kimber, G M; Vego, A; Rantell, T D; Fowler, C; Johnson, A; Derbyshire, F J ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (United States). Center for Applied Energy Research

General Purpose Carbon Fibers (GPCF) are produced commercially from isotropic petroleum and coal-tar pitch precursors. Their lower cost makes them more attractive than high performance PAN (polyacrylonitrile) based or mesophase pitch-based fibers for applications where ultra-high strength or stiffness is not required. In recent years there has also been a growing interest in the use of activated carbon fibers in environmental and gas separation applications. Potentially low cost fiber precursors could be produced from coals by solvent extraction. Such extracts can be obtained in much higher yields than coal tar pitch (e.g., >50 wt.% versus <5 wt.% of coal). There is also the opportunity to widely vary the coal extract properties by control of reaction conditions (e.g., coal rank, type of solvent, reactant gas, heat treatment temperature and time) and thus alter the conditions required for fiber synthesis and the properties of the carbonized and activated fiber products.

• OSTI ID: 504692
• Report Number(s): CONF-960954--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
CARBON FIBERS
COAL EXTRACTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION
PITCHES
PRECURSOR
PRODUCTION
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
TENSILE PROPERTIES