Structural Improvement of Pitch-Derived Mesocarbon Microbeads by Preprocessing Raw Material

Mesocarbon microbeads (MCMBs) were synthesized by pyrolyzing the hexane insoluble (HI) extracted from the coal-tar pitch in the dimethyl silicone dispersant. Structural development of product thus prepared was investigated by X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope and particle size analyzer. Experimental results indicated that the HI-derived MCMBs possessed well-graphitized structure, excellent spherical morphology and even particle size due to preprocessing of the pitch raw material. It was suggested that structural improvement benefited from homogenous nucleation and good fluidity of the mesophase spherules.