Single domain oval carbon nanofiber prepared from a polymer blend process

Single domain graphite fibers of 50–500 nm in diameter were prepared from a mesophase pitch mixed with a matrix polymer to form a polymer alloy. The alloy was then spun, stabilized, carbonized, and graphitized at 2900 °C. The carbonized fiber had a circular or Y-shaped cross-section, but all of the graphitized carbon nanofiber (CNF) changed into an elliptical cross-section with an aspect ratio (major axis/minor axis) of 2.47. The CNF consisted of well-developed graphite layers ordered throughout the cross-section, as observed in a single crystal and the layer edges formed loops consisting of 5–10 layers.