Co‑carbonization of coal tar pitch and brominated industrial methylnaphthalene for the production of isotropic pitch-based carbon fibers with enhanced tensile strength
Yongsheng Tian, Jingang Liu, Hui Zhu, Guanming Yuan, Ye Cong, Baoliu Li, Jianguang Guo, Qin Zhang, Zhang Jiang, Xuanke Li, Zhijun Dong
Abstract
The co‑carbonization of refined coal tar pitch (RCTP) and brominated industrial methyl naphthalene (BIMNP) employing benzoyl chloride (BC) as a catalyst has been explored to create an isotropic spinnable pitch for carbon fibers with notable tensile strength. BIMNP is derived from industrial methyl naphthalene (IMNP) via photo-bromination assisted by visible light using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as a brominating agent. This research investigates the impact of the mass ratio of RCTP and BIMNP on the composition, molecular structure, and thermophysical characteristics of the co‑carbonized pitch. A tentative elucidation of the co‑carbonization mechanism involving RCTP, BIMNP, and BC is presented. Adjusting the NBS-to-IMNP mass ratio leads to the complete conversion of 1-methylnaphthalene (1-MNP) and 2-methylnaphthalene (2-MNP) in IMNP into 1-bromomethylnaphthalene (1-BMNP) and 2-bromomethylnaphthalene (2-BMNP), respectively. The co‑carbonized pitch exhibits enhanced pitch production, increased thermal stability, and improved spinnability compared to pitch synthesized via thermal polycondensation. The resulting carbon fibers experience a rise in tensile strength by 947 MPa and an increase in Young's modulus by 41.3 GPa as BIMNP content varies from 10% to 30%. Using BIMNP as a co‑carbonization agent offers a promising avenue for producing pitch-based carbon fibers meeting automotive industry requirements.