Activated carbons (ACs) have been used as EDLC (electric double-layer capacitor) electrode materials due to their high specific area, stability, and ecological advantages. In order to prepare ACs with high density and crystallinity, coal tar pitch (CTP) was activated by K2CO3 and the textural and electrochemical properties of the obtained ACs were investigated. Although the CTP ACs formed by K2CO3 activation had much smaller specific surface area and pore volume than did the CTP ACs formed by KOH activation, their volumetric specific capacitance (F/cc) levels as electrode materials for EDLC were comparable due to their higher density and micro-crystallinity. Structural characterization and EDLC-electrode performance were studied with different activation conditions of CTP/K2CO3 ratio, activation temperature, and activation period.

In order to use coal tar pitch (CTP) as a raw material for carbon fibers, it should have suitable properties such as a narrow range of softening point, suitable viscosity and uniform optical properties. In this study, raw CTP was modified by heat treatment with three types of polymer additives (PS, PET, and PVC) to make a spinnable pitch for carbon fibers. The yield, softening point, C/H ratio, insoluble yield, and meso-phase content of various modified CTPs with polymer additives were analyzed by changing the type of polymer additive and the heat treatment temperature. The purpose of this study was to compare the properties of CTPs modified by polymer addition with those of a commercial CTP. After the pitch spinning, the obtained green fibers were stabilized and carbonized. The properties of the respective fibers were analyzed to compare their uniformity, diameter change, and mechanical properties. Among three polymer additives, PS220 and PET261 pitches were found to be spinnable, but the carbon fibers from PET261 showed mechanical properties comparable with those of a commercial CTP produced by an air-blowing method (OCI284). The CTPs modified with polymer additive had higher β-resin fractions than the CTP with only thermal treatment indicating a beneficial effect of carbon fiber application.

In order to prepare anode materials for high power lithium ion secondary batteries, carbon composites were fabricated with a mixture of petroleum pitch and coke (PC) and a mixture of petroleum pitch, coke, and natural graphite (PCNG). Although natural graphite has a good reversible capacity, it has disadvantages of a sharp decrease in capacity during high rate charging and potential plateaus. This may cause difficulties in perceiving the capacity variations as a function of electrical potential. The coke anodes have advantages without potential plateaus and a high rate capability, but they have a low reversible capacity. With PC anode composites, the petroleum pitch/cokes mixture at 1:4 with heat treatment at 1000 oC (PC14-1000C) showed relatively high electrochemical properties. With PC-NG anode composites, the proper graphite contents were determined at 10~30 wt.%. The composites with a given content of natural graphite and remaining content of various petroleum pitch/cokes mixtures at 1:4~4:1 mass ratios were heated at 800~1200 oC. By increasing the content of petroleum pitch, reversible capacity increased, but a high rate capability decreased. For a given composition of carbonaceous composite, the discharge rate capability improved but the reversible capacity decreased with an increase in heat treatment temperature. The carbonaceous composites fabricated with a mixture of 30 wt.% natural graphite and 70 wt.% petroleum pitch/cokes mixture at 1:4 mass ratio and heat treated at 1000 oC showed relatively high electrochemical properties, of which the reversible capacity, initial efficiency, discharge rate capability (retention of discharge capacity in 10 C/0.2 C), and charge capacity at 5 C were 330 mAh/g, 79 %, 80 %, and 60 mAh/g, respectively.

The various expanded graphites (EGs) was prepared and applied as anode material for high power Li-ion secondary battery (LIB). By changing the processing conditions of EG, a series of EG with different structure were produced, showing the changed electrochemical properties. The charge-discharge test showed that the initial reversible capacity of EG anodes prepared at the suitable conditions was over 400 mAh/g and the charge capacity at 5 C-rate was 83.2 mAh/g. These values demonstrated the much improved electrochemical properties as compared with those for the graphite anode of 360 mAh/g and 19.4 mAh/g, respectively, showing the possibility of EG anode materials for high power LIB.

Petroleum pitch and coke with wet mixture method or with dry mixture method were investigated to develop the composite anodic carbon material of high power lithium ion battery. Cokes coated with pitch were obtained by the heat treatment of mixture of cokes and pitch with different weight ratios at 800~1200℃. The charge and discharge characteristic of the consequent composite anodic carbon material assembled in batteries was tested. Cokes with wet mixture method have a smooth surface and their capacity changed little with changing temperature and content as compared to the cokes with dry mixture method. Although the reversible capacities showed different values by the anode manufacturing method, the composite anode with the mixture of 20 wt% of petroleum pitch and 80 wt% of coke showed the higher power capability and initial efficiency than the pitch based anode. However, the reversible capacity of the composite anode showed the reduced value as compared with the pitch based anode.

In this study, graphite composites were fabricated by warm press molding method to realize commercialization of PEM fuel cells. Graphite composites have been considered as alternative economic materials for bipolar plate of PEM fuel cells. Graphite powder that enables to provide electrical conductivity was selected as the main substance. The graphite powder was mixed with phenolic resin and the mixture was pressed using a warm press method. First of all, the graphite powder was pulverized with a ball mill for the dense packing of composite. As the ball milling time increases, the average size of particles decreases and the size distribution becomes narrow. This allows for improvement of the uniformity of graphite composite. However, the surface electrical resistivity of graphite composite increases as the ball milling time increases. It is due to that graphite particles with amorphous phase are generated on the surface due to the friction and collision of particles during pulverizing. We found that the contact electrical resistivity of graphite particles increases as the particle size decreases. The contact electrical resistivity of graphite powders was reduced due to high molding pressure by warm press molding. This leads to improvement of the mechanical properties of graphite composite. Hydrogen gas impermeability was measured with the graphite composite, showing a possibility of the application for bipolar plate in fuel cell. And, I-V curves of the graphite composite bipolar plate exhibit a similar performance to the graphite bipolar plate.

Oxidized PAN (OXI-PAN) fibers were used for the precursors of activated carbon fiber in study. How drying temperature affected the properties of carbon fibers on activating process of carbon fibers was investigated. The specific surface areas of activated carbon fibers have been determined on a series of chemically activated carbons with KOH and NaOH. The experimental data showed variations in specific surface area, iodine and silver adsorptions by the activated carbon fibers. The amount of iodine adsorption increases with increasing specific surface areas in both activation methods. This was because the ionic radius of iodine was smaller than the interior micropore size of activated carbon fibers. Silver adsorbed well in NaOH activated carbon fibers rather than KOH activated carbon fibers in this study.

Graphite has hexagonal closed packing structure with two bonding characteristics of van der Waals bonding between the carbon layers at c axis, and covalent bonding in the carbon layer at a and b axis. Graphite has high tolerant to the extreme conditions of high temperature and neutron irradiations rather than any other materials of metals and ceramics. However, carbon elements easily react with oxygen at as low as 400C. Considering the increasing production of today of hydrogen and electricity with a nuclear reactor, study of oxidation characteristics of graphite is very important, and essential for the life evaluation and design of the nuclear reactor. Since the oxidation behaviors of graphite are dependent on the shapes of testing specimen, critical care is required for evaluation of nuclear reactor graphite materials. In this work, oxidation rate and amounts of the isotropic graphite (IG-110, Toyo Carbon), currently being used for the Koran nuclear reactor, are investigated at various temperature. Oxidation process or principle of graphite was figured out by measuring the oxidation rate, and relation between oxidation rate and sample shape are understood. In the oxidation process, shape effect of volume, surface area, and surface to volume ratio are investigated at 600℃, based on the sample of ASTM C 1179-91.

The mesophase pitch was prepared by adding 1~10 wt% of the borane-pyridine complex (BPC) to decant oil. It was prepared in a reactor held at 450℃ for 2 h in N2 atmosphere. The mesophase pitches were analyzed using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), melting point apparatus, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and polarized optical microscope. The coke yield, softening point, toluene insoluble, density and content of anisotropy in the mesophase pitches were increased with BPC contents. The XRD profiles did not show any effect of addition of BPC on the formation of mesophase pitch, while the crystallinity of mesophase pitches was increased when the materials were heat treated with boron compound.