Densification of carbons prepared from mesophase pitch and phenolic resin blend Original Research Article

Co-carbonization of naphthalene-derived mesophase pitch (NMP) and novolac-type phenolic resin (NV) was investigated to densify the carbon derived from the mesophase pitch. Blending both types of phenolic resin to NMP suppressed the expansion during carbonization to densify the resultant carbon. Thermosetting NV before the carbonization of NMP fixed the molten pitch in the crosslinked network, suppressing the expansion of NMP. Blending in THF before the carbonization was effective in making the region of NMP smaller, leading to higher bulk density and finer mosaic texture of the resultant carbon. The carbon yields of the blend were lower than those expected from the additivity line. A large amount of naphthenic hydrogen of NMP is released to react with phenolic OH to prevent crosslinking and decompose phenolic resin. The air blowing of NMP drastically decreased its aliphatic hydrogens, increasing the carbon yields and the bulk density of the blend.