Dominant hydrocarbon which contributes to the growth of vapor grown carbon fibers

Benzene and several light paraffins were used as the initial carbon source for vapor grown carbon fiber production to clarify the dominant hydrocarbon which contributes to fiber growth. When light paraffins were used as the initial carbon source, methane, ethylene and benzene were found to be the main hydrocarbons which exist at the reaction zone for fiber growth. It was found that benzene is the actual contributor to fiber growth, because a linear relationship between the benzene concentration at the reaction zone and the initial growth rate of the fibers was observed. No relationships were observed for other hydrocarbons. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd