Intelligent machines (e.g., artificial intelligence, algorithms, and robotics) with the capability to make decisions autonomously either augment or substitute human employees due to rapid evolution in technology (Man Tang et al., 2022; Larivière, et al., 2017). Therefore, studies have shown that in consumer services, the role of intelligent machines falls into two categories: augmentation or substitution of human employees (McLeay et al., 2021; Larivière, et al., 2017). Specifically, human employee augmentation means that the role of intelligent machines is to assist and complement human employee, with the two used together to produce better outcomes (Larivière, et al., 2017). For example, in a retail bank in Japan, collaborative robots work side by side with bank employees to serve customers (Marinova et al., 2017); IBM’s Watson can assist doctors with diagnosis (Larivière, et al., 2017). Human employee substitution reflects the role of intelligent machines to replace human workers (McLeay et al., 2021). For example, restaurants such as Spyce, where robots are replacing human employees to take orders for customers (Wang et al., 2022). However, there are still a lot of unexplored aspects concerning consumers’ specific reactions toward this new form of a service provider. The study examines customers responses when human employees are augmented or substituted by intelligent machines, including responses that promote beneficial consumption (e.g., join a health program) and those that promote harmful consumption (e.g., pursue high return-risk offerings, enhance preferences for risk-taking behavior). In this article, we attempt to answer the following questions:

The electrochemical capacitive properties of biomass-derived activated carbons are closely dependent on their microscopic structures. Here, activated carbon fibers (ACFs) were prepared from natural cattail fibers by carbonization and further chemical activation. The activation temperature affected on the microscopic structures and electrochemical properties of the activated carbon fibers. The results show that the optimum activation temperature is 800 °C. And the as-prepared ACF- 800 possesses high micropore specific surface area of 710.4 m2 g− 1 and micropore volume of 0.313 cm3 g− 1, respectively. For supercapacitor applications, the ACF-800 displays a high specific capacitance of 249 F g− 1 at a current density of 0.05 A g− 1, excellent rate performance and cycle stability in a three-electrode system. The excellent electrochemical performance indicated that the obtained activated carbon fibers could be a promising electrode material in supercapacitor.

The pore structure of pitch-based activated carbon prepared by physical activation was improved by nitric acid treatment of pitch. The nitric acid treatment introduced oxygen and nitrogen functional groups on pitch, and increased pitch molecular weight by cross-linking. The introduced oxygen and nitrogen functional groups on pitch were removed during the carbonization process, so they did not directly affect the physical activation process. The increased pitch molecular weight induced an increase of the pitch softening point. The increased softening point prevented rearrangement between the pitch molecules during the carbonization process, thereby inhibiting the orientation improvement of pitch molecules. The crystal degree of the carbonized pitch was reduced due to the inhibition of the orientation improvement. The reduced crystal degree increased reactivity between carbonized pitch and activation agent ( CO2) and formed micropores, so that activated carbon with a high specific surface area could be prepared.

In the present study, pyrolyzed fuel oil (PFO)-based pitch without impurities was used to prepare coke under pressure, and the preparation yield and the powder resistance depending on the graphitization were investigated. The preparation yield of green coke by pressurized coking at 500 °C was about 26–27% higher than that at normal pressure. However, the coke yield after the thermal treatment of green coke at 900 °C was lower by 10.6–14.8% at the pressurization conditions than under normal pressure. This may be because the substances that are not vaporized under the pressurized conditions remain in the reactants and then are discharged later. The coke yield after the thermal treatment at 900 °C was higher by 14.9–28.3% under the pressurized conditions than under the normal pressure, indicating that the low-boiling point materials of the pitch participated more in coke polymerization under the pressurized conditions. The density of the coke prepared under the pressurized conditions was lower than that of the coke prepared under normal pressure, because the low-boiling point materials of the pitch participated in the reaction. However, after graphitization, the density values became similar (2.27–2.26 g/cm3). The volume resistivity of the graphitized samples was in a range of 0.499 × 10–2–0.384 × 10–2 Ω cm, indicating that the coke samples have similar electrical properties. The results of the present study show that, in comparison with the conventional normal-pressure process, the pressurized coking process can improve the yield through the participation of low-boiling point materials in the polymerization reaction, while maintaining the properties of the prepared coke and graphite, such as the conductivity and density.

In the present study, carbon molded bodies were prepared by using graphite/coke fillers and petroleum-based binder pitch with various softening points, and the thermal properties of the prepared carbon molded bodies were investigated. The ratio of a binder affects the molded body preparation: no molded body was prepared at a low binder pitch content, and swelling occurred during the thermal treatment at a high binder pitch content. The binder pitch thermal treatment yield was the highest at 41 wt% at the softening point of 150 °C and the lowest at 23 wt% at the softening point of 78 °C. A significant mass reduction was found in the range of 150 to 300 °C in the petroleum-based binder pitch, and in the range of 300 to 475 °C in the coal-based binder pitch. The molecular weight of the binder pitch was analyzed through the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) method. The molecular weight ratio within the interval showing the highest binder pitch molecular weight (178 to 712 m/z) was the highest at 66.4% in the coal-based binder pitch (softening point 115 °C) and the lowest at 46.0% in the petroleum-based binder pitch (softening point 116 °C). When the petroleumbased binder pitch was applied, as the softening point was increased, the voids decreased and thus the thermal conductivity increased. The highest thermal conductivity was 99.5 W/mK for the carbon molded bodies prepared using the coal-based binder pitch and 102.8 W/mK for those prepared by using the petroleum-based binder pitch. The results showed that the thermal properties were similar between the coal-based binder pitch (softening point 115 °C) and the petroleum-based binder pitch (softening point 150 °C).