Graphite materials prepared from an anthracite:: A structural characterization

The purpose of this research was to study the influence of the temperature, treatment time, and initial coal particle size on the evolution of the structural order of graphite materials that have been prepared from an anthracite at temperatures >2273 K. Crystalline parameters such as the interlayer spacing and crystallite sizes were calculated from X-ray diffractometry measurements. The analysis of the first- and second-order Raman spectra allowed the assessment of the degree of orientation at the outermost layers of these materials. The graphitization of the anthracite happened in two different stages. The temperature of 2673 K seems to be the inflection point for the change in the graphitization rate of the anthracite. Highly crystalline materials were obtained at 2673 K. Temperatures of treatment >2673 K led to minor changes in the degree of structural order of the graphite materials obtained. The initial particle size of the anthracite affected the evolution of the graphitization process with temperature, because of differences in the ratio of particles that contain organic matter and mineral matter associations. The degree of graphitization achieved with this coal was comparable to that of other natural and synthetic graphites.