Microstructural control of carbon nano fibers

Nano-sized carbon fibers (∼500 nmφ) have received great attention not only for scientific research but also for energy and/or electrical device applications. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) have been developed and different morphologies have been obtained. The morphology of the CNF depends on the raw material and the production process. In this paper we investigate the ways to produce CNFs and have classified them into five classes. (1) CVD process, (2) Template carbonization process, (3) Electro-spinning process, (4) Polymer blend process and (5) Wet spinning process. The differences in the morphology of the CNFs produced with different processes come from the different raw materials and the different mechanisms of fiber formation, such as deposition, drying speed (agglomeration speed), spinning speed (molecular orientation) and so on. We summarized the fundamentals of morphology formation as fiber diameter, surface configuration and continuity with different processes investigated in the latest reports.