Carbon fiber composition including graphene nano-powder and fabrication method for carbon fiber using the same

• US 10,407,801 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Lee, Jae Kap, Choi, Won Kook
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Angela C
• Application Number:
  US15/346,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20170114478A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• Field of Search: 524356
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/184 Preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/205 Preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2004/17 Nanostrips, nanoribbons or nanobelts, i.e. solid nanofibres with two significantly differing dimensions between 1-100 nanometer
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/04 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/043 Carbon nanocoils
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/20 Carboxylic acid amides
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 7/06 Elements
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/145 from pitch or distillation residues
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/16 from products of vegetable origin or derivatives thereof, e.g. from cellulose acetate D01F9/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/22 from polyacrylonitriles
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/225 from stabilised polyacrylonitriles
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2101/12 Carbon; Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/734 Fullerenes, i.e. graphene-based structures, such as nanohorns, nanococoons, nanoscrolls or fullerene-like structures, e.g. WS2 or MoS2 chalcogenide nanotubes, planar C3N4, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/842 for carbon nanotubes or fullerenes

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a carbon fiber composition and a fabrication method for high-performance carbon fiber using the same. The method can fabricate high-performance carbon fiber (or graphite fiber) with lowering a graphitization temperature by using graphene carbon fiber composition including nano-sized graphene.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating high-performance carbon fiber, the method comprising steps of:

a mixing step to make a graphene carbon fiber composition by mixing a composition for fabricating carbon fiber, and graphene powder, wherein the composition for fabricating carbon fiber includes one selected from the group consisting of, pitch, rayon and combinations thereof; and

a heat treatment step of the graphene carbon fiber composition, and

wherein the graphene powder serves as a seed of nanoribbon-shaped graphite to be formed during carbon fiber fabricating processes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphene powder is fabricated by decomposing crystalline graphite, and has a particle size of 20 nm or less.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the crystalline graphite is a graphite structure grown in a helix shape.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a content of the graphene powder is more than 0.1 wt % based on 100 wt % of the sum of the composition for fabricating carbon fiber and the graphene powder.

5. The method of claim 1, the mixing step further comprising a solvent, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of alcohol, acetone, dimethylformamide (DMF), tetrahydrofuran (THF) and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition for fabricating carbon fiber further includes polyacrylonitrile (PAN).

7. A method for fabricating high-performance carbon fiber, the method comprising steps of:

a mixing step to fabricate a graphene suspension by mixing a composition for fabricating carbon fiber with graphene powder to form a graphene carbon fiber composition, and dispersing the graphene carbon fiber composition in a solvent, wherein the composition for fabricating carbon fiber includes one selected from the group consisting of, pitch, rayon and combinations thereof;

a fabrication step to fabricate mixed-fiber by controlling a viscosity of the graphene suspension and performing a fiberization process of the graphene suspension;

a stabilization step to stabilize the fibers by heating at 200˜

400°

C. under atmosphere; and

a heat treatment step of fabricating nano ribbon-shaped graphite by graphitization of the stabilized fibers at a temperature less than 2,500°

C.,

wherein the graphene powder included in the graphene carbon fiber composition serves as a seed of graphite to be formed during high-performance carbon fiber fabricating processes.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the graphitization of the heat treatment step is performed at a temperature in the range of 1,500°

C. and greater to less than 2,500°

C.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the composition for fabricating carbon fiber further includes polyacrylonitrile (PAN).