Non-Circular Activated Carbon Fibers

摘要

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of several different methods for controlling the pore size and pore size distribution in activated carbon fibers. Variables studied include fiber shape, activation time, and the addition of small amounts of silver nitrate. In order to test the influence of metal additives, 1% silver nitrate was added to a portion of the precursor prior to spinning. Then round and trilobal fibers were melt-spun from the pure isotropic pitch as well as the pitch-AgNO3 mixture. These fiber samples were stabilized, carbonized and then activated by exposure to CO2 at 900°C. Finally, the total surface area and pore size distribution was measured using a BET analyzer. Analyses of the silver-containing activated fibers proved that the silver particles were evenly distributed, creating a uniform mesopore structure in the fibers. By contrast, no mesopores were found in the activated fibers formed from the pure isotropic precursor. The results showed that round and trilobal fibers with equivalent crosssectional areas yielded similar burn-off values and specific surface areas after activation.