Micro-structural evaluation of reticulated glassy like carbon obtained from furfuryl alcohol resin neutralized with sodium hydroxide

• Grant number: 14/00212-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2014
• End date: June 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Aerospace Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Edson Cocchieri Botelho
• Grantee: Isadora de Nigris Brandolisi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEG). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Guaratinguetá. Guaratinguetá , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The glassy carbon is a carbonaceous, isotropic, not graphitizable material, obtained by heating of thermosetting resins. This material, comes being used in the processing of crucibles for special uses, substrata for mirrors of first surface, cardiac valves, electrodes, among others, and its use is explained due to its low specific mass (~1,5 g.cm - 3), good properties thermal and electric and high chemical inertness. Currently, phenolic and polyfurfuryl alcohol resins are the most used glassy carbon processing, due to their carbon yield around 40%. The glassy carbon can be produced without of pores of transport, called monolithic glassy carbon (MGC), or like a foam form rich in pores of transport, called reticulated glassy carbon (RGC). The reticulated glassy carbon (RGC) is a macroporoues form with high surface area, rigid structure and with low resistance to flow. The reticulated glassy carbon is a useful material as electrode, especially when they are required characteristic as: high electric chain density, low resistance to the electric flow, least loss of volume of cell for electrodes and the ability to process the material with sizes of controlled pores. In order to obtain a glassy carbon less disordered for electrochemical applications, the aim of this work has as objective more to synthesize the polyfurfuryl alcohol with the conditions adjusted to improve the graphitization of the RGC. Therefore, in this work the effect of addition of different amounts of sodium hydroxide will be evaluated in the morphology and crystalline structure of the RGC, since the insertion of this inorganic base is already being used in the conservation of the viscosity of the resin for a longer period of time. I am depending on the results found in this work, this will be submitted for a publication in the periodic Journal of Applied Polymer Science.