Low temperature pyrocarbons: A review

This article is a synthetic survey of the recent researches in the field of pyrocarbons. Pyrocarbon is the form of carbon which deposits on hot surfaces above 900 degrees C by cracking of hydrocarbons. Applications are in the fields of composite materials, nuclear reactors or biomaterials. Very recently, an important step was reached concerning the understanding of the growth processes. A classification of the low temperature pyrocarbons is introduced. It is based on the measure of carbon defects and anisotropy, using Raman spectroscopy. It provides a comprehensive relationship between growth mechanisms, structure and properties of pyrocarbons.