A study on the structure of pellet formed from polyacrylonitrile carbon prepared between montmorillonite lamellae

A carbon prepared from carbonization of polyacrylonitrile between montmorillonite lamellae (IPC) can be pelletized without a binder. The pellet of IPC was formed at about 250 kg/cm2, and then it was subjected to heat-treatment at various temperatures up to 2960degC. The graphitizability and orientation of resulted pellet were determined by TEM, SEM observations, X-ray diffraction and magnetoresistance measurements. The meansquare displacement of carbon atoms for the pellet heat-treated at 2960degC is so small that the graphitizability of pellet is very high. The value of transverse magnetoresistance for the pellet is much smaller than expected from its high graphitizability, partly because of the size effect of IPC. The degrees of orientation determined by X-ray diffraction and by magnetoresistance measurements were 23∼36degC and 19∼36degC, respectively. (author)