Comparative Study on Super Fine Mesophase Powder and MCMB Used to Manufacture High-Density Isotropic Carbon Bulks

摘要

Mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) and super fine mesophase powder (SFMP) were prepared firstly from a coal tar pitch and then hot-condensed into high-density isotropic carbon (HDIC) bulks under 160 Mpa and finally sintered at 1 000 ℃. By analyzing the thermogravimetric behavior of the MCMB and SFMP powders, their volume shrinkage and weight loss during sintering and the bulk density and flexural strengths of their sintered bulks, it was found that the smaller sizes and the richer β-resin contents of SFMP have facilitated formation of sintered bulks with more compact isotropic structure and higher flexural strengths than MCMB. Because of the filling and bonding effects of SFMP on MCMB bulks, addition of SFMP, albeit a little, can greatly increase the flexural strengths of sintered bulks of MCMB. However, adding MCMB, even a slight amount, into SFMP can severely impair the flexural strength of sintered bulks. This might be attributed to both the crack initiation along the boundaries between MCMB and SFMP and the formation of layered texture of MCMB sphere.