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Microstructure and properties of pitch-based carbon composites
1Instituto Nacional del Carbon, CSIC, Apartado 73, 33080 Oviedo, Spain.
Journal of Microscopy
|December 14, 1999
Summary
Laboratory-prepared pitches enhance carbon composite properties. Thermal treatment and air-blowing of pitch, combined with foundry coke and anthracite, yielded composites with superior structure, low porosity, and excellent mechanical strength.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Composite Materials
Background:
- Coal-tar pitch is a crucial matrix precursor for carbon composites.
- Modifying pitch properties through thermal treatment and air-blowing can influence composite performance.
- Understanding pitch-carbon interactions is key to optimizing composite fabrication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of modified coal-tar pitch on carbon composite properties.
- To evaluate different carbon materials (coke, graphite, anthracite) as fillers.
- To correlate composite microstructure with precursor characteristics and processing conditions.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory preparation of pitches via thermal treatment and air-blowing.
- Characterization of pitches: elemental analysis, softening point, solubility, carbon yield, mesophase content.
- Analysis of pitch pyrolysis behavior using thermogravimetric analysis and coke optical texture.
- Assessment of pitch wettability on various carbon substrates at elevated temperatures.
- Microstructural analysis of composites using light and scanning electron microscopy.
- Evaluation of composite properties: density, porosity, and compressive strength.
Main Results:
- Thermal treatment and air-blowing significantly improved carbon composite structure and properties.
- Composites fabricated with thermally treated pitches and foundry coke or anthracite exhibited the lowest porosity.
- These specific composites also demonstrated the best mechanical properties (compressive strength).
- Microstructural analysis revealed a strong correlation between precursor characteristics and final composite performance.
Conclusions:
- Modified coal-tar pitches, particularly those thermally treated and air-blown, are effective matrix precursors for high-performance carbon composites.
- The selection of appropriate carbon fillers, such as foundry coke and anthracite, is critical for achieving optimal composite properties.
- Processing-structure-property relationships were established, highlighting the benefits of pitch modification for advanced carbon materials.
