Pitch-based carbon fibers in particular have received much attention in recent decades because of their excellent material performance and simple manufacturing process compared with other precursor materials. To develop cost-efficient and high-performance carbon fibers, it is essential to understand the rheological behavior of pitch in the processing regime. In the current work, we use shear and extensional rheology to investigate the rheological behavior of isotropic and mesophase pitch to determine the optimum processing conditions for pitch-based carbon fibers. Shear and extensional rheological measurements were performed on pitch with varying amounts of mesophase (0.6 - 14 %) to understand how mesophase affects the linear viscoelasticity of pitches. To determine the optimum processing conditions for pitch-based carbon fibers, the effect of strain rate on stress evolution for mesophase pitches as examined by extensional rheology. Failure behavior for pitch fiber precursors was also investigated through extensional rheological measurements. The rheological behavior and failure strength for mesophase pitches will be presented and discussed in terms of processing condition.

Rheological behavior of pitch and their carbon fiber processing

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

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