Conductive polymer composites with high electrical and mechanical properties are in demand for bipolar plates of phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC). In this study, composites based on natural graphite/fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) and different ratios of carbon black are mixed and hot formed into bars. The overall content of natural graphite is replaced by carbon black (0.2 wt% to 3.0 wt%). It is found that the addition of carbon black reduces electrical resistivity and density. The density of composite materials added with carbon black 3.0 wt% is 2.168 g/cm3, which is 0.017 g/cm3 less than that of non-additive composites. In-plane electrical resistivity is 7.68 μΩm and through-plane electrical resistivity is 27.66 μΩm. Compared with non-additive composites, in-plane electrical resistivity decreases by 95.7 % and through-plane decreases by 95.9 %. Also, the bending strength is about 30 % improved when carbon black is added at 2.0 wt% compared to non-additive cases. The decrease of electrical resistivity of composites is estimated to stem from the carbon black, which is a conductive material located between melted FEP and acts a path for electrons; the increasing mechanical properties are estimated to result from carbon black filling up pores in the composites.

In this paper, a durability study is presented to enhance the mechanical properties of an Fe-Si-Al powderbased magnetic core, through the addition of graphite. The compressive properties of Fe-Si-Al-graphite powder mixtures are explored using discrete element method (DEM), and a powder compaction experiment is performed under identical conditions to verify the reliability of the DEM analysis. Important parameters for powder compaction of Fe-Si-Algraphite powder mixtures are identified. The compressibility of the powders is observed to increase as the amount of graphite mixture increases and as the size of the graphite powders decreases. In addition, the compaction properties of the Fe-Si-Al-graphite powder mixtures are further explored by analyzing the transmissibility of stress between the top and bottom punches as well as the distribution of the compressive force. The application of graphite powders is confirmed to result in improved stress transmission and compressive force distribution, by 24% and 51%, respectively.

Numerous studies have reported that good adhesion and fluorination of carbon materials in a fluoropolymer matrix enhance their electrical and mechanical properties. However, a composite reinforced with oxyfluorinated graphite has not been reported for improving mechanical properties. This paper discusses the fabrication of conductive fluorinated ethylene–propylene (FEP)/oxyfluorinated graphite (f-graphite) composite bipolar plates (BPs) via compression molding. To investigate the effects of fluorinating graphite, graphite with a large particle size of 500 μm was mixed with FEP powder with a small particle size of 8 μm through ball milling. The FEP/graphite composites exhibited high anisotropic electrical conductivity with the in-plane conductivity much higher than the through-plane conductivity because of the planar orientation of the graphite sheets. Therefore, the mechanical properties of the composites such as flexural strength tended to deteriorate with increasing graphite content. In particular, the FEP/f-graphite composites exhibited excellent flexural strength of 12 MPa, much higher than that of FEP/graphite composites at 9 MPa with a graphite content of 80 wt%. The interfacial interaction between FEP and f-graphite led to improved physical compatibilization, which contributed to enhance the mechanical properties of these composites. Our results are a step toward developing BPs for use in high-temperature fuel cells and heat-sink components.

흑연 동위원소 비율법(GIRM)은 비핵화 검증 도구로써 흑연감속로의 플루토늄 생산량을 예측하는데 사용된다. 원자로가 가동되면 238U의 중성자 포획 반응에 의해 플루토늄이 생성되어 축적되고 동시에 흑연 내 불순물도 핵반응을 통해 다른 핵종 으로 바뀌기 때문에 플루토늄의 생성량과 불순물의 농도는 일정한 상관 관계를 갖는다. 이러한 상관관계에도 불구하고 어느 특정 시점에서의 불순물의 농도는 불순물의 초기 농도에 의존하기 때문에 불순물의 초기 농도가 알려지지 않으면 불순물의 절대 농도만으로 플루토늄 생산량을 예측하는 것은 불가능하다. 그러나 불순물의 초기 동위원소 비율은 초기 불순물 농 도에 상관없이 알려져 있기 때문에 불순물의 동위원소 비율과 플루토늄 생산량의 관계는 흑연감속로에서 플루토늄 생성량을 예측하는 유용한 도구가 될 수 있다. 흑연동위원소 비율법의 지표 원소로 Boron, Lithium, Chlorine, Titanium, Uranium 등이 이용되는 것으로 알려져 있다. 위 지표원소의 동위원소 비와 플루토늄 생성량 사이의 상관 관계가 초기 불순물 농도에 의존하지 않는지를 네 가지 다른 흑연 불순물 조성을 이용하여 평가하였다. 10B/11B, 36Cl/35Cl, 48Ti/49Ti, 235U/238U은 흑연의 초기 불순물 농도에 상관없이 누적 플루토늄 생성량과 일관된 상관 관계를 갖는다. 이러한 원소들은 다른 원소의 핵반응에 의해 해당 원소의 동위원소가 생성되지 않기 때문이다. 반면 6Li/7Li과 플루토늄 생성량의 상관관계는 흑연 내 불순물의 초기 농도에 의존한다. 7Li은 6Li의 중성자 포획 반응에 의해서 생성되기도 하지만 10B의 (n, α)반응으로도 생성되는 것이 더 지배 적이기 때문에 10B의 초기 농도가 7Li의 생성량에 영향을 미치는 것이다. 따라서 Lithium은 흑연 동위원소 비율법을 위한 지표 원소로 적절하지 않음을 알 수 있다.

In this work, the electrical explosion of wire in liquid and subsequent spark plasma sintering (SPS) was introduced for the fabrication of Ni-graphite nanocomposites. The fabricated composite exhibited good enhancements in mechanical properties, such as yield strength and hardness, but reduced the ductility in comparison with that of nickel. The as-synthesized Ni-graphite (5 vol.% graphite) nanocomposite exhibited a compressive yield strength of 275 MPa (about 1.6 times of SPS-processed monolithic nickel ~170 MPa) and elongation to failure ~22%. The hardness of Nigraphite composite had a value of 135.46 HV, which is about 1.3 times higher than that of pure SPS-processed Ni (105.675 HV). In terms of processing, this work demonstrated that this processing route is a novel, simple, and low-cost method for the synthesis of nickel-graphite composites.

Recently, the amount of heat generated in devices has been increasing due to the miniaturization and high performance of electronic devices. Cu-graphite composites are emerging as a heat sink material, but its capability is limited due to the weak interface bonding between the two materials. To overcome these problems, Cu nanoparticles were deposited on a graphite flake surface by electroless plating to increase the interfacial bonds between Cu and graphite, and then composite materials were consolidated by spark plasma sintering. The Cu content was varied from 20 wt.% to 60 wt.% to investigate the effect of the graphite fraction and microstructure on thermal conductivity of the Cu-graphite composites. The highest thermal conductivity of 692 W m−1K−1 was achieved for the composite with 40 wt.% Cu. The measured coefficients of thermal expansion of the composites ranged from 5.36 × 10−6 to 3.06 × 10−6 K−1. We anticipate that the Cu-graphite composites have remarkable potential for heat dissipation applications in energy storage and electronics owing to their high thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion coefficient.

As the solar power generation system expands, researches on the development and production technology of solar modules are being actively conducted. In addition, in the production of polysilicon for solar modules, a high-purity carbon electrode is essential, which greatly affects the performance and productivity of the solar module. This research is about the development of a carbon electrode used to manufacture high-purity polysilicon rod, which is essential for the manufacture of the photovoltaic modules. Fine graphite chuck is used as a carbon electrode. Generally, it is a consumable material that is used once and discarded. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an assembly-type high purity graphite chuck that can recycle some resources to dramatically improve the utilization of resources. In order to maintain the purity and performance of polysilicon, the composition and performance of the graphite chuck are important. The fine graphite chuck is manufactured through the high-purification process after precision machining, and the performance is confirmed through the component analysis of the specimen. At about 5,000 nm or more from the surface, the compositions of the sample appeared almost constant, and a high purity sample satisfying the target specification was obtained. In addition, it was confirmed that the cost reduction could be achieved by designing the graphite electrode as a separable type, and the results of this study can be applied to the design of the fine graphite chuck for the production of high purity polysilicon.

To enhance the thermal properties of epoxy composites, expanded graphite (EG) was oxyfluorinated and embedded into epoxy resin as a reinforcement. The maximum thermal conductivity was obtained for epoxy composites with oxyfluorinated EG, representing a 62% increase compared to that of neat epoxy. Additionally, the glass transition temperature (Tg) and integral procedural decomposition temperature of epoxy composites with oxyfluorinated EG show the increase of 6% (4.4 °C) and 106% (264 °C), respectively, which indicated the improvement in thermal stability. These results can be attributed to the interfacial interaction between epoxy and oxyfluorinated EG, which formed strong interfacial interactions between the epoxy resin and EG due to the presence of oxygen- and fluorine-containing functional groups in oxyfluorinated EG.

We investigated the characteristics of nano crystalline silicon(nc-Si) thin-film solar cells on graphite substrates. Amorphous silicon(a-Si) thin-film solar cells on graphite plates show low conversion efficiency due to high surface roughness, and many recombination by dangling bonds. In previous studies, we deposited barrier films by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) on graphite plate to reduce surface roughness and achieved ~7.8 % cell efficiency. In this study, we fabricated nc-Si thin film solar cell on graphite in order to increase the efficiency of solar cells. We achieved 8.45 % efficiency on graphite plate and applied this to nc-Si on graphite sheet for flexible solar cell applications. The characterization of the cell is performed with external quantum efficiency(EQE) and current density-voltage measurements(J-V). As a result, we obtain ~8.42 % cell efficiency in a flexible solar cell fabricated on a graphite sheet, which performance is similar to that of cells fabricated on graphite plates.

To produce carbon electrodes for use in perovskite solar cells, electrode samples are prepared by mixing various weight ratios of 35 nm nano carbon(NC) and 1 μm graphite flakes(GF), GF/(NC+GF) = 0, 0.5, 0.7, and 1, in chlorobenzene(CB) solvent with a ZrO2 binder. The carbon electrodes are fabricated as glass/FTO/carbon electrode devices for microstructure characterization using transmission electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and a field emission scanning electron microscopy. The electrical characterization is performed with a four-point probe and a multi tester. The microstructure characterization shows that an electrode with excellent attachment to the substrate and no surface cracks at weight ratios above 0.5. The electrical characterization results show that the sheet resistance is < 70 Ω/sq and the interface resistance is < 70 Ω at weight ratios of 0.5 and 0.7. Therefore, a carbon paste electrode with microstructure and electrical properties similar to those of commercial carbon electrodes is proposed with an appropriate mixing ratio of NC and GF containing a CB solvent and ZrO2.

In the present work, a comparative study of the mechanical behavior of two series of elastomeric composites, based on carboxylated styrene butadiene rubber (X-SBR) and reinforced with rice bran carbon (RBC) and graphite, is reported. Hybrid composites of X-SBR filled with RBC-graphite were also investigated in terms of the cure characteristics, hardness, tensile properties, abrasion resistance, and swelling. It was observed that the cure times decreased with the incorporation of a carbon filler whereas the torque difference, tensile strength, tensile modulus, hardness, and swelling resistance increased compared to the neat X-SBR revealing a favorable characteristic of crosslinking. Dynamic rheological analysis showed that the G' values of the composites, upon the addition of RBC-graphite, were changed to some extent. This demonstrates that the presence of a strongly developed network of fillers will ensure a reinforcing characteristic in a polymer matrix.

Spherical monosized pure aluminum (Al) particles are successfully fabricated by the pulsated orifice ejection method (POEM). The surface reaction between Al and the graphite crucible is investigated by analysing the microstructure and chemical composition of the materials. No significant chemical reaction occurs between Al and the graphite owing to the crystalline Al oxide (γ-Al2O3) layer generated in the initial state. The γ-Al2O3 layer is clearly observed in all regions between the Al particles and graphite via transmission electron microscopy and confirmed by the selected area diffraction pattern. The morphology of the γ-Al2O3 layer perfectly follows the surface morphology of the graphite crucible, which showed nanoscale roughness. This implies that molten Al could not directly contact graphite even though the surface of the crucible became rough to some extent. However, this passivation phenomenon allowed the successful fabrication of monosized pure Al particles. Therefore, POEM is a useful process at least to manufacture monosized pure Al particles.

Pollution of chloride ion-reinforced concrete can trigger active corrosion processes that reduce the useful life of structures. Multifunctional materials used as a counter-electrode by electrochemical techniques have been used to rehabilitate contaminated concrete. Cement-based pastes added to carbonaceous material, fibers or dust, have been used as an anode in the non-destructive Electrochemical Chloride Extraction (ECE) technique. We studied the performance of the addition of Carbon Fiber (CF) in a cement-graphite powder base paste used as an anode in ECE of concretes contaminated with chlorides from the preparation of the mixture. The experimental parameters were: 2.3% of free chlorides, 21 days of ECE application, a Carbon Fiber Volume Fraction (CFVF) of 0.1, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9%, a lithium borate alkaline electrolyte, a current density of 4.0 A / m2 and a cement/graphite ratio of 1.0 for the paste. The efficiency of the ECE in the traditional technique using metal mesh as an anode was 77.6% and for CFVF of 0.9% it was 90.4%, with a tendency to increase to higher percentages of the CFVF in the conductive cement-graphite paste, keeping the pH stable and achieving a homogeneous ECE in the mass of the concrete contaminated with chlorides.

Porous graphites were synthesized by removing the template in HF after cabothermal conversion for 3 h at 900 ℃, accompanied by intercalations of pyrolyzed fuel oil (PFO) in the interlayer of Co or Ni loaded magadiite. The X-ray powder diffraction pattern of the porous graphites exhibited 00l reflections corresponding to a basal spacing of 0.7 nm. The particle morphology of the porous graphites was composed of carbon plates intergrown to form spherical nodules resembling rosettes like a magadiite template. TEM shows that the cross section of the porous graphites is composed of layers with very regular spaces. In particular, crystallization of the porous graphite was dependent on the content of Co or Ni loaded in the interlayer. The porous graphite had a surface area of 328-477 m2/g. This indicates that metals such as Co and Ni act as catalysts that accelerate graphite formation.

Pyrolyzed fuel oil (PFO) and coal tar was blended in the feedstock to produce pitch via thermal reaction. The blended feedstock and produced pitch were characterized to investigate the effect of the blending ratio. In the feedstock analysis, coal tar exhibited a distinct distribution in its boiling point related to the number of aromatic rings and showed higher Conradson carbon residue and aromaticity values of 26.6% and 0.67%, respectively, compared with PFO. The pitch yield changed with the blending ratio, while the softening point of the produced pitch was determined by the PFO ratio in the blends. On the other hand, the carbon yield increased with increasing coal tar ratio in the blends. This phenomenon indicated that the formation of aliphatic bridges in PFO may occur during the thermal reaction, resulting in an increased softening point. In addition, it was confirmed that the molecular weight distribution of the produced pitch was associated with the predominant feedstock in the blend.