Preparation of carbonized fiber web from electrospinning of isotropic pitch

The petroleum-based isotropic pitch precursor (IPP) with a broad molecular weight distribution was electrospun. After the dimethylfomiamide (DNIF) soluble fraction was cut off from the IPP, the DMF insoluble pitch (DIP) solution in tetrahydrofuran (THF) was electrospun into web, and then it was stabilized, carbonized. Cutting out the DMF soluble fraction from the IPP improved the spinnability in comparison with the IPP solution itself at the same spinning conditions. The prepared fibers showed dumb-bell like cross-sectional shape indicating incompletion of the splitting in the spinning process with the fiber size of 4-6 mum in long axis and 2-3 mum in short axis. The fibers were randomly layered to be a web. The electrical conductivity of the web increased from 63 to 83 S/cm with an increase in carbonization temperature from 1000 to 1200 degreesC, and are high enough conductivity for applications to various kinds of electrodes. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.