Carbonization of cellulose fibers—II. Physical property study

The relationship between the structure of carbonized fibers and that of the raw material employed in their preparation has been studied by X-ray diffraction, electron transmission microscopy, and measurements of weight and length changes resulting from carbonization. The two most significant results of the study are that: (1) X-ray orientation studies showed a direct correspondence between cellulose molecular orientation and preferred orientation of the carbonized fiber, (2) the length shrinkage during carbonization decreased with increasing cellulose molecular orientation. The building of a carbon structure probably begins with the formation of "carbon chains" along the paths of the original cellulose chains, preserving a "replica" of the original fiber structure.