Burning-off Characteristics of Carbon Fibers by Joule Heating in Air

Abstract

The burning-off characteristics by joule heating of mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers (MPCFs) in air have been studied, in order to evaluate the current capacity for electrical applications of the fibers. It is indicated that MPCFs have very high current capacity, as around 2.5×10⁵ J/mm², up to burning-off by joule heating, increasing with modulus of the fibers. The cross-section morphologies of the fibers are emphasized after burning-off, which characterize the structure of the original fibers. Similar experiments has been done for the pitch-based activated carbon fibers, and shown the characteristic feature of burning-off caused by the porous structure.