Precursors for Carbon and Graphlte Fibers

Commercial production of carbon and graphite fiber products has been dominated by technology based on the thermal conversion of rayon and polyacrylonitrile fibers. In fact, a wide range of potentially useful and low-cost precursors exist. Most recently, pitch-based fibers have materialized as strong contenders for carbon fiber production. This study is a comprehensive analysis of carbon fiber precursors. It presents a data base for the development of a generalized theory for the prediction of formation of carbon fibers with high mechanical properties.