Patent ID: 8486362
Filing Date: 2013-07-16
Classification: B01F,B82Y,C01B,D01F

Abstract:
1. An agglomerate of redispersible fine carbon fibers, which is characterized in that it is obtained by adding the fine carbon fibers and a dispersing agent which shows solid state at least at ordinary temperature (20±10° C.) into an aqueous dispersion medium, and then removing the dispersion medium from a dispersion system where the carbon fibers are isolated individually and dispersed in the dispersion medium; and that the carbon fibers are collected and solidified to form the agglomerate while each carbon fiber maintains its isolated dispersibility; wherein the carbon fiber content is in the range of 0.01-99.5% by weight, the dispersing agent content is in the range of 0.1-99.5% by weight, and the moisture content is in the range of less than 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the agglomerate; and wherein the dispersing agent is one member selected from the group consisting of (1) surfactants capable of forming spheroidal, cylindrical, or tabular micelles of 50-2000 nm in diameter in an aqueous solution; (2) water-soluble high polymers having a weight average molecular weight in the range of 10,000-50,000,000; and (3) a combination of cyclodextrin and fullerene; wherein the individual fine carbon fiber in the agglomerate is dispersed in its isolated form when the agglomerate is added to a dispersion medium.