• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.402-407
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• 2023

Activated carbon fibers (ACFs) are fibrous form of activated carbon (AC) with higher mechanical strength and flexibility, which make them suitable for building modules for applications including directional gas flow such as air and gas purification. Similarly, ACFs are anticipated to excel in the efficient capture of CO₂. However, due to the difficulties in fabricating monofilament carbon fibers at a laboratory scale, most of the studies regarding ACFs for CO₂ capture have relied on electrospun carbon fibers. In this study, we fabricated monofilament carbon fibers from PAN-based monofilament precursors by stabilization and carbonization. Then, ACFs were successfully prepared by chemical activation using KOH. Different weight ratios ranging from 1:1 to 1:4 were employed in the fabrication of ACFs, and the samples were designated as ACF-1 to ACF-4, respectively. As a function of KOH ratio, increase in surface area could be observed. However, the CO₂ adsorption trend did not follow the surface area trend, and the ACF-3 with second largest surface area exhibited the highest CO₂ adsorption capacity. To understand the phenomena, nitrogen content and ultramicropore distribution, which are important factors determining CO₂ adsorption capacity, were considered. As a result, while nitrogen content could not explain the phenomena, ultramicropore distribution could provide a reasoning that the excessive etching led ACF-4 to develop micropore structure with a broader distribution, resulting in high surface area yet deteriorated CO₂ adsorption.

• Carbon letters
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2014

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with diameters in the submicron and nanometer range exhibit high specific surface area, hierarchically porous structure, flexibility, and super strength which allow them to be used in the electrode materials of energy storage devices, and as hybrid-type filler in carbon fiber reinforced plastics and bone tissue scaffold. Unlike catalytic synthesis and other methods, electrospinning of various polymeric precursors followed by stabilization and carbonization has become a straightforward and convenient way to fabricate continuous CNFs. This paper is a comprehensive and brief review on the latest advances made in the development of electrospun CNFs with major focus on the promising applications accomplished by appropriately regulating the microstructural, mechanical, and electrical properties of as-spun CNFs. Additionally, the article describes the various strategies to make a variety of carbon CNFs for energy conversion and storage, catalysis, sensor, adsorption/separation, and biomedical applications. It is envisioned that electrospun CNFs will be the key materials of green science and technology through close collaborations with carbon fibers and carbon nanotubes.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.472-477
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• 2016

We studied the effects of anodic oxidation treatments of carbon fibers on interfacial adhesion of the carbon fibers-reinforced epoxy matrix composites with various current densities. The surface of treated carbon fibers was characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM), field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the composites was determined by a short beam shear test. This result showed that both the roughness and oxygen group of the carbon fibers surface increased in proportion to the current density. After anodic-oxidation-treated, the ILSS also increased as a function of the current density. In addition, the proportional relationship between ILSS and phenolic hydroxyl group was confirmed. The ILSS of the CF-2.0 sample increased by 4% compared to that of the CF-AS sample, because the anodic oxidation treatment increased the oxygen group and roughness on the carbon fibers surface, which leading to the improvement of the interfacial adhesion of the carbon fibers-reinforced epoxy matrix composites. Among these, the phenolic hydroxyl group which has the proportional relationship with ILSS is found to be the most important factor for improving the interfacial adhesion of the carbon fibers-reinforced epoxy matrix composites.

• Carbon letters
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.51-54
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• 2004

Isotropic pitch-based carbon fiber was isothermally activated in $CO_2$ atmosphere. Structural parameters of the isotropic carbon fibers and activated carbon fibers (ACFs) were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The $d_{002}$ and La of the carbon fibers were measured to be 4.04 ${\AA}$ and 23.6 ${\AA}$ and those of ACFs were 4.29 ${\AA}$ and 22.7 ${\AA}$, respectively, representing less ordered through activation process. The pores in the ACFs were characterized by BET, and they showed super-high specific surface area of maximum value 3,495 $m^2/g$ from average pore size of 8.3 ${\AA}$ at 59% burn-off. It was recognized that 8-9 ${\AA}$ was optimum range of pore size for efficient creation of high specific surface area. The average size of the pores formed at higher temperature ($1100^{\circ}C$) was larger than that of the pores formed at lower temperature ($900^{\circ}C$).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.193-197
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• 2014

The electrode for gas sensor was prepared by using pitch-based activated carbon fibers and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to investigate the toxic gas sensing characteristics. The physicochemical properties of activated carbon fibers electrode for gas sensor were analyzed with SEM and BET. Toxic gases sensing property of the electrode was also identified by different toxic gases such as $NH_3$, NO and $CO_2$. The specific surface area of activated carbon fibers electrode for gas sensor was decreased by 33% owing to PVA used as a binder compared with the activated carbon fibers. However, its pore size distribution of the ACF electrode was not greatly influenced by PVA. The activated carbon fibers electrode for gas sensor responded to toxic gases by electron hopping unlike semiconductor based gas sensors. In this study, activated carbon fibers electrode was decreased to 7.5% in resistance for the NH3 gas of the 100 ppm concentration and its $NH_3$ gas sensing property was confirmed the most excellent compared with other toxic gases.

• Carbon letters
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• v.19
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• pp.89-98
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• 2016

Taguchi’s experimental design was employed in the melt spinning of molten mesophase pitch to produce carbon fibers. The textures of the obtained carbon fibers were radial with varied crack angles, as observed by scanning electron microscopy and polarized optical imaging. The diameter, crack angle, preferred orientation, and tensile modulus of the produced samples were examined to investigate the influence of four spinning variables. The relative importance of the variables has been emphasized for each characteristic. The results show that thicker carbon fiber can be obtained with a smaller entry angle, a higher spinning temperature, a reduced winding speed, and an increased extrusion pressure. The winding speed was found to be the most significant factor in relation to the fiber diameter. While it was observed that thicker carbon fiber generally shows improved preferred orientation, the most important variable affecting the preferred orientation was found to be the entry angle. As the entry angle decreased from 120° to 60°, the shear flow was enhanced to induce more ordered radial alignment of crystallite planes so as to obtain carbon fibers with a higher degree of preferred orientation. As a consequence, the crack angle was increased, and the tensile modulus was improved.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.406-415
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• 2008

Recently, the amount of thermosetting plastic wastes have increased with the production of reinforced plastic composites and causes serious environmental problems. The epoxy composites, one of the versatile thermosetting plastics with excellent properties, cannot be melted down and remolded as what is done in the thermoplastic industry. In this research, a series of experiments that recovers carbon fibers from carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites for train body was performed. We experimentally examined various decomposition processes and compared their decomposition efficiencies and mechanical property of recovered carbon fibers. For the prevention of tangle of recovered carbon fibers, each composites specimen was fixed with a Teflon supporter and no mechanical mixing was applied. Decomposition products were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC-MS), and universal testing machine (UTM). Carbon fibers could be completely recovered from decomposition process using nitric acid aqueous solution, liquid-phase thermal cracking and pyrolysis. The tensile strength losses of the recovered carbon fibers were less than 4%.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.335-338
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• 2010

In this study, the atmospheric plasma treatment with $He/O_2$ was conducted to modify the surface chemistry of carbon fibers. The effects of plasma treatment parameters on the surface energetics of carbon fibers were experimentally investigated with respect to gas flow ratio, power intensity, and treatment time. Surface characteristics of the carbon fibers were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Zeta-potential, and contact angle measurements. The results indicated that oxygen plasma treatment led to a large amount of reactive functional groups onto the fiber surface, and these groups can form together as physical intermolecular bonding to improve the surface wettability with a hydrophilic polymer matrix.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.577-582
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• 1999

Activated carbon fibers were prepared from stabilized PAN fibers by chemical activation using hydroxide. The variations in specific surface area amount of iodine adsorption micro-structure and pore size distribution in the activated carbon fibers after the activation process were discussed. In the chemical activation using potassium hydroxide specific surface area of about 2545m2/g and amount of iodine adsorption of 2049 mg/g were obtained at the condition of KOH/fiber ratio of 1 and 800$^{\circ}C$ Nitrogen adsorption isotherms for PAN based activated carbon fibers showed the type I in the Brunauer-Deming-Deming-Teller classification indicating the micro-pores consisting the activated fibers.

• Carbon letters
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.127-130
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• 2008

This study aims to find a correlation between XRD and Raman result of the activated carbon fibers as a function of its activation degrees. La of the isotropic carbon fiber prepared by oxidation in carbon dioxide gas have been observed using laser Raman spectroscopy. The basic structural parameters of the fibers were evaluated by XRD as well, and compared with Raman result. The La of the carbon fibers were measured to be 25.5 ${\AA}$ from Raman analysis and 23.6 ${\AA}$ from XRD analysis. La of the ACFs were 23.6 ${\AA}$ and 20.4 ${\AA}$, respectively, representing less ordered through activation process. It seems that the $I_D/I_G$ of Raman spectra were related to crystallite size(La). Raman spectroscopy has demonstrated its unique ability to detect structural changes during the activation of the fibers. There was good correlation between the La value obtained from Raman and XRD.