Thermal analysis studies on electrochemically oxidized carbon fibers

Abstract

The results are presented of studies on the effect of electrochemical oxidation of carbon fibers (CFs) in 1 mol-dm -3 HzSO 4 on their thermal decomposition in air.The resistance to oxidation of the as-received fibers increases with increasing ordering of their internal structure, characterized by the interlayer spacing doo 2 of the graphite crystallites.After anodic oxidation, the resistance to oxidation of CFs in air is markedly decreased. It is shown that in the course of anodic polarization of CFs with a current density of more than 5 A. m-2, the regions of the material with highest ordering convert to graphite oxide, which is hydrophilic and thermally unstable.