Inelastic neutron scattering study of proton dynamics in carbon blacks Original Research Article

Inelastic neutron scattering spectra from 16 to 4000 cm−1 of various carbon blacks (rubber blacks, graphitized black, post-oxidized gas black) and activated carbon at 30 K are presented. They reveal new aspects of proton dynamics in these samples. The nearly proton-free graphitized sample is similar to pure graphite. All spectra reveal a continuum of intensity which is attributed to the recoil of free protons inserted in the basic structural units. On the top of the continuum, more or less well-defined bands are attributed to protons either chemically bound at the border of the basic structural units or, in the case of the post-oxidized gas black, trapped in topological defects. The activated carbon is dominated by bands due to OH groups. The integrated intensities are not simply related to proton concentrations given by analytical techniques.