Co-carbonization of 9-chloroborafluorene and pitch; synthesis of B/C materials

This paper is a continuation of our research efforts in the development of boron containing carbon (B/C) materials. The chemistry is based on the co-carbonization reaction between 9-chloroborafluorene precursor and FCC decant oil pitch. By adding small amounts of 9-chloroborafluorene, the yield of low temperature anisotropic carbon from the commercial pitch was dramatically improved. This simple and effective method results in a broad range of B/C materials. In addition, the co-carbonization reaction provides direct evidence of boron-enhanced graphitization and the effect of boron content on crystal growth. In general, the graphitization temperature of pitch can be lowered by several hundred degrees by incorporating small amounts of boron precursor, and a large crystal size with low d-spacing, similar to Sp-1 graphite, is obtained at 2300°C.