Pitch based carbon fibers

Abstract

 The present invention resides in carbon fibers essen­tially consisting of liquid crystal pitch based continuous monofilaments having an average filament diameter of 20 µm or greater.
The carbon fibers of the present invention can have modulus of elasticity of 80,000 Kgf/mm² or greater and tensile strength of 200 Kgf/mm² or greater.
The carbon fibers of the present invention can be used as a multifilament fiber consisting of plural monofilaments as in case of conventional carbon fibers but it is particularly preferable that a number of constitut­ing monofilaments is one.

Description

Background of the invention

Field of the invention

[0001] This invention relates to carbon fibers essentially consisting of monofilaments having a large diameter. Fur­ther the present invention relates to a liquid crystal pitch based continuous monofilament or continuous carbon fibers essentially consisting of small number of monofila­ments. In addition, the "liquid crystal pitch" of the present invention is a general term for the pitch contain­ing an optically anisotropic component and the pitch which is convertible easily to optically anisotropic by heat or stress.

[0002] The carbon fibers essentially consisting of large diameter monofilaments can be used for electric conducting material (heat-generating body, electrode material) electromagnetic-wave-shielding material, electric charge-­preventing material, heat-resisting, chemicals resisting material (filtration cloths, working cloths, protecting cloths, protection material, heat insulating materials), etc. Conventional carbon fibers have a drawback of being liable to form fluffs because their constituting monofila­ments are thin and number of the monofilaments is large and the said carbon fibers are inconvenient to be treated as raw materials for such industrial materials.

[0003] Carbon fibers essentially consisting of large diameter monofilaments take a firm stand and have an ad­vantage of difficulty of deforming by the flow of matrix component.

[0004] Even in the case where matrix materials have an ex­tremely large surface tension such as metal, or have an extremely large viscosity such as a certain kind of ther­moplastic resin, the carbon fibers of the present inven­tion have small tendency of move and localization by the flow of matrix component. Accordingly, they show superior performance as a reinforcement material for fiber com­posite materials.

[0005] Carbon fibers essentially consisting of a small num­ber of monofilaments, particularly a monofilament show su­perior performance as a core material of ceramic fibers, etc. produced by way of CVD (Chemical vapor deposit) to coat with boron, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, etc.

Prior Arts

[0006] In case of brittle materials like glass, it is known that strength becomes greater when they are shaped ex­tremely finely. This has been explained from that flaws are formed at a certain probability by the strain, etc. at the time of shaping, but if shaped finely, the probability of the existence of flaws included in the test piece be­comes smaller, namely the finer the shaped body is, the greater the strength becomes quickly.

[0007] It has been reported heretofore that such a phenomena exist in case of conventional carbon fibers. In case of PAN based carbon fibers, since strength becomes greater as diameter of fibers becomes smaller, thinner fibers are prepared in the course of time.

[0008] In case of isotropic pitch based carbon fibers, Otani investigated the relation between fiber diameter and strength, he reported that if diameter becomes greater than 10 µm, strength drops suddenly [carbon 3, 31 - 38 (1965)]. In case of mesophase pitch based carbon fibers, D.M. Riggs and J.G. Venner reported that the carbon fibers carbonized at 1500°C or 2000°C have a strength greater than 450 KSI when a fiber diameter is 8 µm or less, and as the fiber diameter becomes greater, strength abruptly falls and at a diameter of 13.5 µm the strength becomes 250 KSI or less (16th Biennial conference on Carbon).

[0009] From such a status, it has not been heretofore ex­pected to produce a liquid crystal pitch based carbon fiber monofilament particularly a continuous monofilament.

[0010] Heretofore, synthetic fiber monofilaments have been produced by a process in which, after a spinning solution is extruded from a spinning nozzle and is solidified, stretching, heat treatment is successively carried out, and further fibers are continuously wound up after divid­ing into every monofilament or every several monofila­ments.

[0011] This method is simple and does not require high grade of art but accuracy of quality of products are superior and this method is used for many synthetic resins such as, polyamide, polyester, polyolefin, etc.

[0012] Further in case for fibers having a large strength and elongation, such as polyamide, a method in which fila­ment yarns having relatively large monofilament denier is wound up while being detwisting and dividing one by one or two by two monofilaments, is also used.

[0013] In case of pitch fibers, the strength of monofilament after spinning (extrusion) is drastically low and hence it is difficult to adopt these method. The pitch fibers after spinning are wound up immediately after collecting in bundles or picked up in a cans or on a porous belt. The pitch fibers are subjected to infusiblization and car­bonization while being kept in the state of wound up on a bobbin, in the state accommodated in cans or on a belt to avoid injury. It is natural that rough working as fiber dividing cannot be put into practice unless in the state of advanced carbonization. But even after carbonization it is extremely difficult in the point of strength as well as technique to divide the carbon fibers in which a large number of fine monofilaments are collected in bundle and carbonized into continuous monofilaments.

Problem to be solved by the invention

[0014] Since principal application field of conventional carbon fibers is reinforcement of composite material, the demand for fibers consisting of small number of monofila­ments such as fibers for clothing was extremely small.

[0015] However, recently improvement of quality of carbon fibers has been advanced, and their unique physical properties have become attracting attention as fibers for industrial materials. On this account, there is tendency of rapid increasing of the demand for carbon fibers having the same extent of thickness with general synthetic fibers.

[0016] For fulfilling such a new demand for carbon fibers, monofilament having high modulus of elasticity and tensile strength is necessary. However, it has been known that if the diameter of a monofilament becomes greater than about 10 µm there is a problem that strength is reduced rapidly.

[0017] In order to solve this problem, study has been made about the production condition of monofilament whereby a liquid crystal pitch based carbon fibers which show high modulus of elasticity and which do not show great change of strength even when the diameter of monofilaments changes, have been found and comes to the present inven­tion.

Means for solving the problem

[0018] The present invention resides in carbon fibers essen­tially consisting of liquid crystal pitch based continuous monofilaments having an average filament diameter of 20 µm or greater.

[0019] The carbon fibers of the present invention can have modulus of elasticity of 80,000 Kgf/mm² or greater and tensile strength of 200 Kgf/mm² or greater.

[0020] The carbon fibers of the present invention can be used as a multifilament fiber consisting of plural monofilaments as in case of conventional carbon fibers but it is particularly preferable that a number of constitut­ing monofilaments is one.

[0021] The carbon fibers of the present invention are produced from liquid crystal, pitch which has a relatively high softening point and a narrow molecular weight dis­tribution, preferably having a softening point of 270 - 360°C, and produced from petroleum based pitch having a content of optically anisotropic of 85 - 100 %. When a pitch having a softening point lower than 270°C is used, the viscosity of melted product is lower, it becomes dif­ficult to spin fibers having a large fiber diameter and when a lower molecular weight component becomes large quantity, there is a problem that defects in carbon fibers increases and strength is reduced. Accordingly, it is preferable to remove a low molecular weight component by way of reduced pressure treatments or the like. In case of use of a pitch having a softening point of 360°C or greater, there is a problem that draw-resonance is liable to occur at the time of spinning and production of fibers having a uniform diameter becomes difficult.

[0022] At the time of production of a liquid crystal pitch, it is one of effective methods to heat treat a pitch from which components liable to turn to high molecular weight and foreign matters, etc. having been removed by separat­ing mesophase pitch formed during a preliminary heat treatment of a raw pitch. When the content of optically anisotropic component becomes smaller, reduction of fiber strength accompanied by the increase of fiber diameter be­comes greater, and further if optically isotropic com­ponent increases, spinnability is lowered and not preferable. It is preferable that the content of opti­cally anisotropic component is more than 85 % and essen­tially 100 % is particularly preferable.

[0023] As liquid crystal pitch, besides optically anisotropic pitch having a common flow pattern, it is pos­sible to select from among pitches which is convertible easily to optically anisotropic, those pitches are produced by solvent extraction from heavy oil or pitches or by converting optically anisotropic pitches to isotropic pitches by reduction, etc. As a heavy oil or pitches those based upon petroleum type is particularly preferable.

[0024] In the production of carbon fibers of the present in­vention, it is preferable to do spinning of melted pitch from spinning holes having enlarged cross-section toward the down stream direction. One advantage of the use of such spinning holes is to enlarge the pressure reduction at spinning holes and to make the delivery amount of pitch from each spinning holes uniform. Another advantage is a capability of changing orientation of pitch molecules from easily splittable radial type to hardly splittable random type or folded radial type.

[0025] In case of fibers of large monofilament diameter as in the present invention, as shown in figure 1, it has been found that a specified three layers structure is li­able to be formed in which surface layer and central parts are radial and its middle parts are random. Further it is recognizable that the lower the speed of spinning, the higher the modulus of elasticity of carbon fibers produced.

[0026] At the time of spinning of pitch fibers of large monofilament diameter as in the present invention, uniform cooling is also one of the important conditions and if cooling becomes non-uniform, non-uniformity of monofila­ment diameter is liable to be brought about by draw resonance.

[0027] In the production of carbon fibers in the present in­vention, it is necessary to make a heating rate slower at the time of infusiblization of pitch fibers. It is preferable to treat at a heating rate of 1.0°C/min. or less in a heated air. If the heating rate is too great, infusiblization in the central part of fibers becomes in­sufficient and since weak points are formed by foaming, this is not preferable. Further if the heating rate is too small, this is not preferable because of increase of cost. The heating rate is preferably in the range of 0.01 - 0.5°C /min.

[0028] At the time of infusiblization of the pitch fibers of the present invention, also, it is possible to promote in­fusiblization reaction by conventional means such as a treatment in the heated air where oxygen concentration is elevated.

[0029] For the carbon fibers of the present invention, it is preferable to do treatment at a smaller heating rate than that of conventional carbon fibers in the early stage of the carbonization. Particularly, the heating rate in the temperature range of higher than 600°C is preferably 100°C/min. or less, and more preferably it is 30°C/min. or less.

[0030] It is preferable that in the present invention, the pitch fibers having been melt-spun are immediately wound up or accommodated in cans or on a porous belt and are subjected to infusiblization and carbonization treatment, then the resulting carbon fibers are presented to various processing. The pitch fibers immediately after melt-­spinning are extremely weak and brittle even though their diameter is large, it is necessary to pay the maximum at­tention in treating in the form of one or several ends of monofilament. However, after it is subjected to in­fusiblization and carbonization treatment, strength be­comes greater, brittleness becomes less and handling as a common yarn having one or several ends of monofilament be­ comes possible.

[0031] At this step, it becomes possible to divide thick fiber bundle into a plurality of fiber bundle having nearly same number of monofilament ends and thus thin mul­tifilament yarns or monofilament can be produced according to this process. In this case, preferably, treatment is carried out while number of monofilaments is relatively large during the time from the production of pitch fibers till the early stage carbonization by which brittleness becomes less. Thereafter by dividing into a plural number of fiber bundles having nearly equal number of monofila­ments, it is possible to produce the carbon fibers essen­tially consisting of small number of monofilaments or a monofilament.

[0032] In case of conventional carbon fibers, it is said that if diameter of monofilament becomes greater there is tendency that strength becomes smaller but in case of carbon fibers of the present invention, this tendency is not notable, it is possible to make tensile strength to 200 Kgf/mm² or greater and modulus of elasticity of 80,000 Kgf/mm² or greater.

[0033] On the one hand, if diameter of monofilament becomes greater, since friction resisting property is increased, in case where the fiber assembled body itself is used without being coated with other matrix material, it is preferable that diameter of monofilament is great.

[0034] However, if diameter of monofilament becomes greater, infusiblization becomes difficult, low temperature long time oxidation treatment becomes necessary. Further, there is a tendency of liable to be non-uniform at the time of spinning of pitch fibers. For the above-mentioned reason, monofilament diameter of the carbon fiber of the present invention is preferably 200 µm or less, most preferably 15 µm or less. In case of PAN based or rayon based carbon fibers, if diameter of monofilament becomes greater, strength is reduced abruptly. The reason of this fact is said that the strength of the fibers depends upon the probability of flaws existing on the surface and with the increase of diameter, the probability of flaw exist­ence becomes greater.

[0035] Whereas the liquid crystal pitch based carbon fibers of the present invention show the less reduction of strength in case where diameter of monofilament becomes greater, and have superior characteristic properties in rigidity and shape holding property. Further, since specific surface area of the carbon fibers of the present invention is smaller, they have an advantage that working by corrosion is easier. Anticorrosion property against the materials such as melted metal which corrode carbon can be obtained by coating the surface with titanium car­bide, silicon carbide, etc. and the carbon fibers of the present invention show superior properties as a reinforce­ment material for composite material in which melted metal is a matrix.

[0036] Further by making thick the coating layer of these corrosion resisting material, it is possible to produce fibers in which titanium carbide, silicon carbide, etc. are principal body of fiber and it is possible to coat further with boron, silicon nitride, etc.

[0037] The carbon fiber monofilaments of the present inven­tion is superior in strength, corrosion resistance, rigidity, shape-holding property, etc. Further when it is used as a fiber-reinforcement materials for composite materials, it has an advantage that forming of defect in shaped articles, which is caused by the disorder of fiber disposition or arrangement due to the flow of matrix com­ ponent at the time of shaping, is smaller.

[0038] According to the present invention, the production of liquid crystal pitch based carbon fiber having a diameter of 20 µm or greater becomes possible but from the view­point of the processing property in the later step treat­ment, liquid crystal pitch based carbon fibers having a diameter of 30 µm or greater is preferable.

[0039] In the production of the carbon fibers of the present invention by fiber dividing, pitch fiber is wound up while shaping in thin plate shape, infusiblization and car­bonization are carried out successively while holding the said thin plate shape. At the time of shaping, winding is carried out in such a way that thin plate shape does not turn over or disunite by adhering paste agent or an oiling agent having good bundling property.

[0040] At the time of this winding up, it is preferable to use a traverse guide of winding up machine, which has such a narrow opening that shift of relative position of monofilaments does not occur. This opening may be formed as a shape of guide or further it may also be a combina­tion of flattening apparatus of fiber bundle and broad guide. This opening of traverse guide is preferably smal­ ler than twice the fiber diameter.

[0041] This thin plate shape fiber bundle which has been wound up is wound out so as not to turn over or disunite and is divided into carbon fibers of the present inven­tion. In this case, it is also possible to continuously perform steps from spinning of pitch to carbonization without winding up. However, since the preferable treat­ment velocity in each step is different, it is preferable to wind up after spinning of pitch.

Function

[0042] The present invention resides in liquid crystal pitch based carbon fibers essentially consisting of continuous monofilaments having a large filament diameter which is superior in strength and modulus of elasticity.

[0043] Though the reason why such carbon fibers can be ob­tained is not clear, by the synergistic effect of the use of liquid crystal pitch having a high softening point and narrow molecular weight distribution and the use of spin­ning holes in which the cross-section is increased toward the down stream direction, it is inferred that specified fine structure fibers are produced which have high strength and modulus of elasticity even when monofilament diameter is great and which does not contain defect such as cracks after carbonization.

[0044] Further, because petroleum-based pitch contain ex­tremely few non-fluidic foreign matters such as carbon particles compared with coal based pitch, it is considered that even when diameter of monofilaments is great, carbon fibers having superior strength can be obtained.

Specific example

[0045] The present invention will be more fully explained by specific examples.

Specific example 1

[0046] A petroleum based raw pitch having a softening point of 318°C and an optically anisotropic content of 100 % was melt spun using a nozzle having a narrowest part diameter of the spinning hole of 0.1 mm, the diameter of outlet of the spinning hole of 0.25 mm, while blowing nitrogen at a spinning temperature of 329.2°C. The amount of delivery of pitch was 0.054 g/hole.min. and winding up velocity was 30 m/min. The extruded fibers were wound up after oiling at such a traverse velocity that the fibers were closely paralleled with each other. Infusiblization of spun-out fibers was carried out at a heating rate of 0.1°C/min. till 300°C and holding time at 300°C of 30 min. Further, at a heating rate of 5°C/min. temperature was elevated till 700°C and light carbonization was carried out. Con­sequently, the resulting fibers were continuously fed to a furnace at a maximum temperature of 2500°C and carboniza­tion treatment was carried out at a heating rate of 12°C/min.

[0047] The diameter of resulting fibers were about 32 µm. Tensile strength was 275 Kgf/mm² and modulus of elasticity was 85,000 Kgf/mm². When a cross-sectional surface of fibers was observed, a surface layer and the central part was radial type and its middle part was random type as shown in figure 1. There was observed no presence of crack, broken parts or voids.

[0048] Further, at the time of carbonization at 2500°C, when the heating rate was elevated till 36°C/min., strength was dropped till 198 Kgf/mm² and when at 120°C/min. strength was dropped till 85 Kgf/mm².

Specific example 2

[0049] By using a spinning nozzle providing 100 spinning holes having a diameter of the narrowest part of 0.1 mm and outlet part diameter of 0.25 mm in place of the spin­ ning nozzle of specific example 1 and using the same pitch, pitch fibers were spun at a spinning temperature of 330°C. The amount of delivery of pitch was 5.4 g/min. and winding up velocity was 30 m/min.

[0050] Spun-out fibers were collected by using a polyacrylamide based sizing agent and wound up in the tape shaped product of 4 mm width. Wound up tape was subjected to infusiblization treatment as in Specific example 1 and further to carbonization treatment at a maximum tempera­ture of 2700°C. During the treatment, it was taken care so as not to turn over bundle of fibers or so as not to be disunited.

[0051] After carbonization treatment, resultant fibers were divided into 10 carbon fibers and wound up. Resultant fibers were multifilaments consisting of about 10 monofilaments having a diameter of about 32 µm and were superior in processability. Tensile strength was 295 Kgf/mm² and a modulus of elasticity of 92,000 Kgf/mm².

Specific example 3

[0052] By using spinning nozzles similar to that of the Specific example 1 and using petroleum based pitch having various kinds of softening point and content of optically anisotropic component, melt-spinning was conducted at a spinning temperature of a softening point +18°C with changing diameter of fiber. Resulting pitch fibers were subjected to infusiblization and carbonization as in Specific example 1. The softening point, optically anisotropic component of the raw pitch and properties of the resulting fibers are shown in The First Table.

The First Table Characteristic Property of Pitch and Fibers
pitch No.	1	2	3	4	5
softening point (°C)	272	281	290	340	358
content of optically anisotropic componenet (%)	86	93	100	100	100
average diameter of mono filament (µ m)	22	28	55	98	147
tensile strength (Kgf/mm²)	234	256	264	270	259
modulus of elasticity (10³ Kgf/mm²)	81	82	84	91	87

Specific example 4

[0053] Coal tar pitch was subjected to heat treatment to give small cubic body of mesophase of about 2 %. Filtra­tion was carried out by sintered metal filter having an average hole diameter of 1.2 µm and purified pitch was ob­tained.

[0054] The purified pitch was further subjected to heat treatment to give a softening point of 316°C optically anisotropic component content of 90 % and quinoline in­soluble content of 45 %. Similarly as in Specific example 1, melt-spinning was carried out and infusiblization and carbonization were conducted.

[0055] Diameter of resultant carbon monofilament was about 34 µm tensile strength was 220 Kgf/mm² and modulus of elasticity was 81,000 Kgf/mm². This value was superior to conventional carbon fibers having a large diameter but compared with Specific Example 1, both modulus of elas­ticity and strength are slightly inferior.

Effectiveness of the invention

[0056] The present invention relates to carbon fibers essen­tially consisting of monofilaments having a large diameter. The present invention is a liquid crystal pitch based continuous monofilament or carbon fibers essentially consisting of small number of the said continuous monofilaments.

[0057] Carbon fibers essentially consisting of monofilaments having a large monofilament diameter are used for electric conductive material (heat generating body, electrode material) electromagnetic-wave-shield material, electric charge preventing material, heat-resisting and chemicals resisting material (filtration cloths, working clothes, protecting cloths, preventing material, heat insulation material), etc. Conventional carbon fibers have a draw­back of being liable to form fluffs because their con­stituting monofilaments are thin and the number of the monofilaments is large. The said carbon fibers are incon­venient to be treated as raw materials for such industrial materials.

[0058] Carbon fibers essentially consisting of large diameter monofilaments take a firm stand and have an ad­vantage of difficulty of deformation by the flow of matrix component. Even in case where matrix materials have an extremely large surface tension such as metal or have an extremely large viscosity such as a certain kind of thermo plastic resin, since the carbon fibers of the present in­vention show small tendency of move and localization by the flow of matrix component, they show superior perfor­mance as a reinforcement material for fiber composite materials.

[0059] Carbon fibers having essentially consisting of a small number of monofilaments, particularly a monofilament show superior performance as a core material for ceramic-­fibers, etc. produced by way of CVD etc. to coat with boron, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, etc.

Brief explanation of drawing

[0060] Figure 1 shows electron microscopic photograph of the monofilament cross-section.

Claims

1. Carbon fibers essentially consisting of continuous liquid crystal pitch based monofilaments having an average filament diameter of 20 µm or greater.

2. Carbon fibers described in claim 1 which is charac­terized in essentially consisting of a monofilament.

3. Carbon fibers of claim 1 or claim 2 which is charac­terized in modulus of elasticity is 80,000 Kgf/mm² or greater and tensile strength is 200 Kgf/mm² or greater.

Drawing