I need a carbon fiber which is porous on the surfaces. Is there a chemical approach? would you guide me with a method?
Hello, usually you would activate carbon fibres in a similar method to activating carbon - heat the fibres to 800 - 900 oC under nitrogen and then switch to a steam/nitrogen mix (around 60% relative humidity) to pit the surface of the fibre. You control the pore size / number by changing time of processing, temperature and humidity. There are also more 'exotic' ways to do this activation, including using plasma processing or microwaves.
Chemically, phosphoric acid, zinc chloride or potassium hydroxide are commonly used to activate carbon and carbon fibres. These have the advantage of activating the surface of the carbon at lower temperatures and with a higher degree of control over pore characteristics. However, residues often remain after processing which can be difficult to remove and which affect the behaviour of the material.
The best chemical system to use depends on the type of surface you want to achieve. There are numerous publications available on methods for the chemical activation of carbon black and carbon fibre which could be simply adapted to your purpose.
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