Asbury Carbons - The World's Carbon and Graphite Source

Carbon fibers are the state of the art when it comes to high strength, high modulus fibers. Carbon fibers are manufactured by spinning a suitable polymer precursor and thermally treating the resultant fiber to optimize its mechanical and chemical properties. Precursors are chosen to be materials that metamorphose into graphite-like structures. Spinning is designed to orient the graphite-like molecular structure of the fiber parallel with the fiber axis. This results in the orientation of strong covalent molecular bonds along the axis of the fiber where stress is applied.

In general, the degree of heat treatment applied to a given fiber affects its mechanical properties by promoting the development of the fiber's inherent graphite-like structure, which has significant mechanical strength. Asbury Graphite has both PAN (polyacrylonitrile) and Pitch based fibers available in chopped and milled form. Various types of sizing are also available to provide the right fiber surface configuration for your system.

Carbon black is a unique amorphous carbon solid that is manufactured by the deposition of solid carbon particulates formed in the gas phase. In general, it is manufactured by combustion or thermal cracking of a hydrocarbon fuel under reducing conditions.

Carbon black has the finest primary particle size of all the common industrial carbons. Most “as formed” carbon blacks are made up of particles whose sizes are reported in nanometers (one billionth of a meter!). The properties of the various types of carbon black are a function of the “fuel” source used to manufacture the black and the type of combustion process applied. Carbon black is graded by its ability to color (known as tint) surface area, primary particle size, “structure” (the number of primary particles that fuse to form each secondary particle), and conductivity in the case of electrically conductive blacks.

Asbury supplies a number of grades of carbon black that are used in applications such as pigmentation, thermal materials, ultra violet protection, electrically conductive plastics, rubber, flow enhancement, static dissipation in non-conductive particles, and polymer reinforcement.

Carbon Black Product Guide

Activated carbons are a group of carbon materials that have surface “functionality.” This functionality results in materials that are effective at adsorption of certain chemical species.

Active carbons are typically manufactured from “organic” precursors such as cellulostic materials (coconut shells for instance), various types of coal, or other plant- and animal-derived carbons. Many activated carbons are produced by heating the proper precursor material under reducing conditions to generate a carbonaceous surface. This process is typically followed by “activation,” which is a thermal or chemical oxidation step that further enhances the material’s surface.

Not all activated carbons are created equal. Differences in the precursor carbon combined with the various “activation” methods results in carbon materials that have a wide range of surface properties. These properties are primarily a function of the pore size prevalent in the activated surface, as well as the types of functional groups resident in the pores.

Activated carbon materials can be used as adsorbents for many organic and inorganic substances in both gas and liquid streams. They can be used to remove toxic agents from wastewater, and process effluent gas. Activated carbon is an excellent decolorizer and can be used to remove even persistent organic dyes from aqueous and non-aqueous liquid systems.

Asbury has a wide range of activated carbon products available, including those manufactured from lignite, bituminous coal, coconut shell, and proprietary pelletized carbons.

Carbons

Carbon Fibers

Carbon Black

Activated Carbon