A Kraft hardwood lignin (HWL) and an organic-purified hardwood lignin (HWL-OP) were evaluated as potential precursors for the production of lowcost carbon fibers. It was found that the unpurified HWL exhibited poor spinnability while the HWL-OP exhibited excellent spinnability characteristics. Fibers of various diameters were obtained from the HWL-OP. Thermostabilization studies showed that oxidative stabilization can only be used to convert HWL-OP-based fibers into carbon fibers if extremely low heating rates are applied. Carbonized lignin-based fibers had tensile strength of 0.51 GPa and tensile modulus of 28.6 GPa.

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Palladium-modified activated carbon fibers (Pd-ACF) are being evaluated for adsorptive hydrogen storage at near-ambient conditions because of their enhanced hydrogen uptake in comparison to Pd-free ACF. The net uptake enhancement (at room temperature and 2 MPa) is in excess of the amount corresponding to formation of β-Pd hydride and is usually attributed to hydrogen spillover. In this paper, inelastic neutron scattering was used to investigate the state of hydrogen in Pd-containing activated carbon fibers loaded at 77 K with 2.5 wt % H2. It was found that new C−H bonds were formed, at the expense of physisorbed H2, during prolonged in situ exposure to 1.6 MPa hydrogen at 20 °C. This finding is a postfactum proof of the atomic nature of H species formed in presence of a Pd catalyst and of their subsequent spillover and binding to the carbon support. Chemisorption of hydrogen may explain the reduction in hydrogen uptake from first to second adsorption cycle.