Fabrication of a mesophase pitch-based submicron carbon-fiber web

A mesophase pitch-based submicron carbon-fiber web, non-woven fabric, was prepared using an aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The dispersion of mesophase pitch in the PVA solution was electrospun to form a web of submicron carbon fibers. The carbon-fiber web was heat-treated at 2800 °C in argon. The diameters of the carbon fibers were 200–800 nm. The XRD peak near 2θ = 26°, which corresponds to the (0 0 2) diffraction peak of graphite, was broad and at slightly lower angle compared to that of the graphite powder because of the less crystalline nature and the smaller size of the mesophase pitch-derived graphitic particles. TEM observation indicated that the fiber consists of aggregates of mesophase pitch-derived small graphitic particles surrounded by an amorphous substance likely originating from the PVA.