ABSTRACT
Performance of Natural Graphite ................................. 182 7.4.3 Graphitic MCMBs as a Negative Electrode Material ................ 183
7.4.3.1 Preparation of MCMBs ................................................... 183 7.4.3.2 Physical Properties of MCMB ....................................... 185 7.4.3.3 Electrochemical Performance of Graphitic MCMB .... 186
7.4.4 Graphitic Carbon Fibers ................................................................ 187 7.4.4.1 Microstructure of Carbon Fibers .................................. 188 7.4.4.2 Electrochemical Performance of Carbon Fibers ......... 188
7.4.5 General Properties of Graphitic Carbons ................................... 189 7.5 Electrochemical Performance of Amorphous Carbon Materials ........ 190
7.5.1 Pyrolytic Carbons from Small Molecules .................................. 191 7.5.2 Polymeric Carbons ......................................................................... 191
7.5.2.1 Pyrolysis Process for Polymeric Carbons .................... 192 7.5.2.2 Properties of Polymeric Carbons .................................. 194
The chemistry of carbon is an old and dynamic field of research. Its use can be dated back to before the birth of Christ. Its industrial production and application started to develop in the mid-1800s. So far, although much has been well explored, there are still many unexplored aspects of this material. This element has several allotropes including graphite, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), diamond, fullerene, and graphene. Coal is also a form of carbon and has long been a cornerstone of modern industry. Graphite also has a long history, being used in pencils. In 1985, fullerenes were invented, and in 1991, CNTs were discovered. Fullerenes (from buckminsterfullerene, the first fullerene to be discovered) are composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, tube, and many other shapes. In 1996, the inventors of fullerenes, Robert F. Curl Jr., Harry Kroto, and Richard E. Smalley, were awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and in 2010, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for their groundbreaking work on the two-dimensional form of carbon graphene. Their work laid the basis for a golden era in the research and development on carbon materials.
