Porous carbon material based on petroleum pitch

Abstract

The samples of granulated (2–4 mm) porous carbon material with unimodal and bimodal poresize distributions were prepared. The sample with a unimodal porous structure was prepared via the mixing of soot and petroleum pitch followed by carbonization (the first stage). At the second stage, the carbon material obtained was ground to a particle size smaller than 0.2 mm, mixed with petroleum pitch, and also subjected to carbonization. The porous structures of these materials were studied by scanning electron microscopy and mercury porosimetry. It was established that the predominant pore size (20–1000 nm) of the samples with the unimodal structure depends on the used soot grade. At the second stage of the process, a considerable volume of pores in a range of 4–12 μm is formed in the production of bidisperse material. As compared with a sample with the monodisperse structure, porous carbon material with a bimodal distribution of pores was characterized by a lower crushing strength of granules and comparable specific surface areas, total pore volumes, and ash contents.