Effect of carbonization temperature on crystalline structure and properties of isotropic pitch-based carbon fiber

Isotropic pitch-based fibers produced from coal tar pitch with the melt-blowing method were carbonized at temperatures ranging from 800 to $1600^{\circ}C$ to investigate their crystalline structure and physical properties as a function of the carbonization temperature. The in-plane crystallite size ($L_a$) of the carbonized pitch fiber from X-ray diffraction increased monotonously by increasing the carbonization temperature resulting in a gradual increase in the electrical conductivity from 169 to 3800 S/cm. However, the variation in the $d_{002}$ spacing and stacking height of the crystallite ($L_c$) showed that the structural order perpendicular to the graphene planes got worse in carbonization temperatures from 800 to $1200^{\circ}C$ probably due to randomization through the process of gas evolution; however, structural ordering eventually occurred at around $1400^{\circ}C$. For the carbonized pitch powder without stabilization, structural ordering perpendicular to the graphene planes occurred at around $800-900^{\circ}C$ indicating that oxygen was inserted during the stabilization process. Additionally, the shear stress that occurred during the melt-blowing process might interfere with the crystallization of the CPF.