Bulk graphite: materials and manufacturing process

Abstract

Graphite can be classified into natural graphite from mines and artificial graphite. Due to its outstanding properties such as light weight, thermal resistance, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, chemical stability, and high-temperature strength, artificial graphite is used across various industries in powder form and bulk form. Artificial graphite of powder form is usually used as anode materials for secondary cells, while artificial graphite of bulk form is used in steelmaking electrode bars, nuclear reactor moderators, silicon ingots for semiconductors, and manufacturing equipment. This study defines artificial graphite as bulk graphite, and provides an overview of bulk graphite manufacturing, including isotropic and anisotropic materials, molding methods, and heat treatment.

Mechanical and electrical properties of MCMB/Chopped carbon fiber composite with different bead size

“…Graphite started to be applied in crucibles and pencils in the 15 th century. Since the use of carbon electrodes in an electric arc in the 18 th century, the demand for graphite has increased, and the manufacturing technology of artificial graphite has been developed 1–3 . Since the Second World War, the aerospace and defense industry has rapidly developed, and studies on artificial graphite blocks with outstanding mechanical, electrical and thermal properties at high temperatures have been actively conducted 4 .…”

Numerical analysis of the physical fields in the process of electrode blanks graphitization in the castner furnace

“…A characteristic feature of this method is the direct electrothermal heating of electrode blanks with the direct current (DC) and the relatively short duration of the process -about 10-25 hrs [1][2][3].…”

Improving the mechanical properties of a high density carbon block from mesocarbon microbeads according to oxidative stabilization

“…The heat-treated CTP containing mesophase spherules started to appear at 400 °C and the mesophase pitch of complete anisotropic development was exhibited at temperatures above 480 °C. Uniform mesophase spherules less than 75 μm for the production of high density, high strength carbon blocks were observed under heat treatment of 430 °C 5 . Figure 2(a) shows the average particle diameter of the mesophase spherules prepared at 430 °C.…”

“…First, raw MCMBs and stabilized MCMBs were classified in a sieve under 75 um (200 mesh). The raw MCMBs and stabilized MCMBs were then molded without a binder under 28 Mpa by cold compression into two discs of 15 × 15 × 3 mm and 60 × 10 × 3 mm 5 . The green carbon blocks were carbonized at 1200 °C for 1 h with a heating rate of 1 °C/min in a nitrogen atmosphere.…”

“…To reduce the manufacturing time, self-sinterable coke or mesophase pitch has been used. These raw materials are formed and carbonized via a cold isostatic pressing method without a binder in order to shorten the process time 5 – 8 . Also, MCMBs have been utilized as raw materials by isostatic pressing and carbonization.…”