Pulsed thermal treatment of carbon up to 3000 °C using an atomic absorption spectrometer

Putman, K. J., Sofianos, M. V., Rowles, M. R., Harris, P. J. F., Buckley, C. E., Marks, N. A. and Suarez-Martinez, I. (2018) Pulsed thermal treatment of carbon up to 3000 °C using an atomic absorption spectrometer. Carbon, 135. pp. 157-163. ISSN 0008-6223 doi: 10.1016/j.carbon.2018.03.060

Abstract/Summary

An atomic absorption spectrometer unit fitted with a graphite furnace module is used to perform high temperature treatment on three carbonized polymers: polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Using short pulses up to 45 s, we heat small samples to a maximum of 3000 °C. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry are used to track the growth of crystallites in the materials as a function of the heating temperature. We observe the well-known behaviour of large crystalline graphite growth in PVC-derived samples and the formation of curved graphitic layers in PVDC- and PAN-derived samples. This graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer approach is an attractive alternative to conventional laboratory-scale graphite furnaces in research of high temperature treatment of carbon and other refractory materials.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/76522
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.carbon.2018.03.060
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary centres and themes > Chemical Analysis Facility (CAF) > Electron Microscopy Laboratory (CAF)
Publisher	Elsevier
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