MESOPHASE PITCH CATALYTICALLY PREPARED FROM ANTHRACENE WITH HF BF3

Structure and properties of mesophase pitches prepared catalytically from anthracene by the aid of HF/BF3 were studied to reveal the influences of starting aromatic hydrocarbons. In comparison to naphthalene mesophase pitch, the anthracene pitch exhibited higher yield and slightly higher softening point under milder conditions of preparation. More naphthenic and aryl-aryl bonds with fewer methyl groups were characteristic of the anthracene pitch. Such characterizations are ascribed to the high reactivity of 9,10 positions in the anthracene ring. Although difficulty of spinning reduced the tensile strength of its resultant carbon fiber, its larger molecular units provided higher young modulus, especially at lower graphitization temperature. Lower spinning viscosity was found to give higher modulus of the carbon fiber from the same mesophase pitch at the same graphitization temperature. Molecular alignment at the spinning is briefly discussed.