Obtaining Carbon Fibers Based on Coal Tar by Electrospinning Method

Abstract

This research discusses the use of coal-processing wastes of the Shubarkol Deposit (Karaganda region, Kazakhstan) to produce valuable materials such as carbon fibers. Annually «Shubarkol Komir» JSC alone produces up to 35,000 tons of coal tar as byproduct. In this experiment, mesophase pitch was obtained by coal tar heat treatment at 200 o C. By cracking mesophase pitch into the pieces with the addition of poly (methyl methacrylate) as fiber-forming material and 1,2-dichloroethane as solvent, the spinnable solution was prepared. The elemental analysis of the mesophase pitch showed that the heat treatment up to 200 o C does not contribute to the full elimination of sulfur containing components that influence the forming of mesophase. From the Raman spectra of the pitch, the D peak appearance at ~ 1370 cm-1 and G peak at ~ 1600 cm-1 responsible for carbon products. Carbon fibers with an average diameter of 2.5-3.3 μm were obtained by electrospinning technique in laboratory settings.

Pitch-based carbon fibers: preparation and applications

“…According to scientifically proven theoretical data from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), carbon fibers can be defined as fibers with 92% or more carbon atoms [29]. Carbon fibers can be obtained from various precursors such as: PAN [30][31][32], lignin [33,34], rayon [35,36], polyethylene [37,38], petroleum and coal tar pitch [39][40][41][42].…”