Effect of carbon nanotubes addition on the preparation of mesocarbon microbeads

Mesocarbon microbeads(MCMB)were prepared by thermal polymerization using mid-temperature coal-tar pitch as raw materials and carbon nanotubes(CNTs)as additive at 380°C for 2 h. MCMB were characterized by polarized microscope, SEM, TEM and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results show that CNTs can be used as nucleating agent to promote the formation of MCMB. CNTs exist both on the surface and inside of MCMB, and inhibite the growth and coalescence of MCMB, and the moderate contents of CNTs are favorable to the formation of MCMB. With the increasing of CNTs contents, the particle size of MCMB decreases, the interlayer space (d₀₀₂) of MCMB enlarges, and the crystallite structure of MCMB becomes poor. Furthermore, it almost has no formation of MCMB when the addition of CNTs is more than 10%.