A method for producing isotropic pitch, active carbon fibers and carbon materials for non-aqueous secondary battery anodes

Abstract: The invention provides a method for preparing a modified optically isotropic pitch wherein a synthetic pitch is obtained by reacting a conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbon containing an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbons or a material containing such a substituted hydrocarbon using hydrofluoric acid/boron trifluoride as the catalyst and said synthetic pitch is then treated by forcing an oxidizing gas through it at elevated temperatures. The modified optically isotropic pitch may be used to produce activated carbon fibre or used in the anodes of secondary batteries. Process for preparing the pitch for such uses are disclosed.

Description: The present invention relates to a method for preparing modified optically isotropic pitch exhibiting superior stabilization characteristics and activated carbon fibres and anode materials for secondary batteries using said modified optically isotropic pitch. Heretofore, optical isotropic pitch has been prepared from coal pitch or petroleum pitch and Japanese Laid Open Patent Applications 1994-256767 and 199518058 teach a method for obtaining superior optical isotropic pitch having excellent stabilization characteristics by particularization of low pressure distillation of and blowing gas into the raw materials where the raw materials were for example coal tars. However, the pitch fibres obtained by spinning the optical isotropic pitch obtained from these procedures with regard to stabilization required some protection where high temperatures were applied over long periods, which characteristics had been sought as an improvement. In addition, Japanese Laid Open Patent Application 1988-146920 (USP 4789455) discloses that it is possible to prepare a pitch that may be suitably applied as a high performance carbon material for carbon fibres or other applications by polymerizing conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbons or materials containing them in the presence of an HF/BF s catalyst. When the isotropic pitch thus obtained is used as a raw material for the manufacture of carbon fibres and the like, melt adhesion of the fibres occurs easily during spinning because of a low softening point, and it takes an extremely long time to stabilize the fibres. Where, for this reason, it becomes necessary to raise the softening point of the pitch, then, as recorded in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application 1989-139821 (USP 4891126), the pitch obtained has anisotropic properties and fundamentally has ceased to be an isotropic pitch. EP-A-0 430 689 and EP-A-0 594 301 disclose processes for producing pitchs for use in the making of carbon materials. The fact that the time required for stabilization when carbon fibres are prepared from either of the aforementioned coal type or petroleum type pitches is so long is an important problem from the standpoint of produceability. In particular, pitch fibres obtained using optically isotropic pitch as raw material require a long period of time for stabilization compared with pitch fibres obtained using optically anisotropic pitch as the raw material and the stabilization process is difficult. With respect to various carbon material applications such as for use as carbon fibres, activated carbon fibres and anode materials for secondary batteries using a non-aqueons solvent, an optically isotropic pitch that can easily be stabilized as pitch fibre or pitch granules ground to various particle sizes is desired. The object of the present invention, in addition to offering a method for making optical isotropic pitch with superior stabilization characteristics for various carbon material applications, relates to a method for producing a modified optically isotropic pitch as disclosed in independent claim 1. Further embodiments of the invention are disclosed in dependent claims 2 to 9. The inventors of the present invention, as a result of earnest investigations into a method of preparing optically isotropic pitch having each of the characteristics stipulated above, have discovered an optically isotropic pitch with clearly superior stabilization characteristics, which pitch is obtained by polymerizing conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbons substituted with one or more low molecular weight alkyl groups or a material containing such a conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbon in the presence of an HF/BF, catalyst and treating the resulting polymerised material at elevated temperature with a flow of oxidizing gas. In addition, using the modified optically isotropic pitch obtained by this method as a raw material, the inventors of the present invention have achieved the present invention discovering how easily to obtain activated carbons with high absorption capacity that can be applied effectively to gas separation or water treatment and carbon materials for use in secondary battery anodes in which minimization of capacity loss in the initial cycle together with large discharge capacity as compared with materials used in lithium secondary batteries heretofore is achieved. Additionally, the present invention is a method of preparing activated carbon fibres characterised by melt spinning the modified optically isotropic pitch obtained this method of the present invention, and after stabilization of said modified pitch, conducting activation treatment and a method of preparing anode material for secondary batteries using a non-aqueous solvent characterized by conducting stabilization treatment on the said modified pitch and then calcining. The flow diagram from the raw material of the present invention to the modified optically isotropic pitch, the activated carbon fibre and the anode material for a secondary battery that uses a non-aqueous solvent is as follows: As the conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbon containing at least one low molecular weight alkyl group to be used as the raw material of the present invention, derivatives of conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbons such as naphthalene, anthracene, pyrene, coronene and the like, which contain at least one low molecular weight alkyl group; derivatives of heteropolycyclic hydrocarbons such as benzofuran, quinoline, thianaphthalene, and the like, containing at least one low molecular weight alkyl group; mixtures of these with the aforementioned derivatives of polycyclic hydrocarbons; or coal tar distillates, petroleum distillates, residues from petroleum processing and the like may be used. In the present invention, low molecular weight alkyl groups refers to alkyl groups attached to the aforementioned conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbons that have from 1 to 10 carbon atoms and particularly those having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms. In particular, the methyl group is preferred as the low molecular weight alkyl group and naphthalene derivatives including methyl naphthalene or dimethyl naphthalene as well as mixtures of such compounds with the methyl naphthalene fraction of coal tar and ethylene bottom oil and the like are particularly preferred. The ethylene bottom oil of the present invention consists substantially of a mixture of methyl naphtahlene and dimethyl naphthalenes together with a significant component of ethyl and propyl substituted naphthalenes and other conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbons. Hydrofluoric acid/boron trifluoride is used in the polymerization reaction of the conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbons containing at least one low molecular weight alkyl group, and the amount of hydrofluoric acid used with respect to one mole of the conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbon or its equivalent is on the order of from 0.02 to 50 moles and preferably from 0.1 to 10 moles per mole of conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbon or its equivalent and the amount of boron trifluoride is from 0.001 to 25 and preferably from 0.05 to 5 moles per mole of conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbon or its equivalent. The reaction temperature is between 20°C and 250°C and preferably between 40°C and 220°C. If the reaction temperature is too low, the degree of polymerization is also too low, and a satisfactory optically isotropic pitch cannot be obtained. If the reaction temperature is too high, the pitch obtained has anisotropic properties and fondamentally has ceased to be an isotropic pitch. The amount of time required for the polymerization reaction is usually between 5 and 300 minutes and preferably between 30 and 240 minutes. The reaction pressure is not particularly limited and the reaction is normally conducted under self-generated pressure within the reaction vessel under the other conditions described herein. After completing polymerization, the catalyst, the unreacted raw materials and other light fractions are removed by the usual methods. For example, after the reaction, the pressure in the reaction vessel may be reduced so that the catalyst can be recovered and, in this case, a stripping gas and increased temperature may also be applied inside ther reaction vessel to ensure the effficiency of catalyst recovery. Moreover, following catalyst recovery, unreacted raw materials or light fractions may be removed from the reaction product by passing through it a non-reactive stripping gas. The softening point of the pitch obtained by the polymerization reaction of the present invention is less than 200°C and preferably between 40°C and 180°C. If the softening point is too low, the molecular weight of the pitch is generally small, and, later, the yield of optically isotropic pitch obtained by treatment with an oxidizing gas at elevated temperatures declines, which is an undesirable result. If the softening point is exceeds 200°C, then it depends upon the specific raw material used, but, within the isotropic optical structure of the pitch, the appearance of optical anisotropy becomes more common making the whole material. In fact, anisotropic so that the pitch, which is the object of this invention, is not obtained. Moreover, a ratio of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms in the pitch of 0.5 to 1.0, a pyridine insoluble fraction of less than 1.0% and a ratio of aliphatic hydrogen to total hydrogen of 30% to 80% are desired. The pitch obtained from the polymerization reaction was substantially 100% isotropic. The aforementioned modification in the synthetic pitch is carried out by blowing an oxidizing gas through it while it is in a molten condition at elevated temperatures. As the oxidizing gas used in the modification, oxygen, air and nitric oxide and the like may be used, but, from the standpoint of economics, safety and controlability, the use of air is preferred. The temperature of the modification is not a fixed temperature depending upon the softening point of the pitch, however, the preferred range is 200°C to 400°C and, preferably, 300 °C to 360°C. If the temperatare of the modification process is too low, the oxidation of the pitch proceeds too slowly and modification is difficult to attain. Moreover, if the temperature is too high, the oxidation reaction accelerates, control becomes difficult and thermal autopolymerization of the pitch becomes more likely making the obtaining of the modified pitch of the present invention more difficult. When the modification procedure is carried out, the flow of the oxidizing gas differs according to the type of gas, the softening point of the pitch, the reaction temperature and the like, but in the case where air, which is easy to control, is used as the oxidizing gas, then between 1 and 50 ml/gr of pitch and, preferably, 3 to 30 ml/gr of pitch are used. The method of modification is not particularly limited, but to increase the efficiency of the contact between the gas and the pitch, a mesh filter or stirrer should be attached over the opening throngh which the gas is introduced to the pitch. The point at which the modification by the oxidizing gas has been completed, because the softening point rises together with the advance of the improvement, can be judged by measuring the softening point. The modified optically isotropic pitch, if necessary, may be made into fibres by passing it through a nozzle of on the order of 0.1 to 0.3 mm diameter. The softening point of the modified optically isotropic pitch is between 180°C and 350°C and preferably between 200°C and 300°C. If the softening point is less than 180°C, then either as pitch fibres or as granules it is necessary to begin stabilization treatment from a low temperature, which necessitates longer procedures, and the degree of stabilization will be reduced. If the softening point is in excess of 350°C, then it becomes difficult to draw the pitch through the necessary equipment, so from the standpoint of usability as a product, it becomes impractical. In spinning the molten pitch a softening point of less than 300°C is preferred. The modified pitch is substantially 100% isotropic. Moreover, when preparing carbon material for use in secondary batteries using a non-aqueous solvent, the modified optically isotropic pitch of the present invention preferably has a ratio of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms of between 0.50 and 0.80 and the ratio between the intensity of the aliphatic stretch vibration peaks for C-H and between the aromatic stretch vibration peaks for C-H is 0.5 or greater. As regards the optical isotropy of the pitch of the present invention, when viewed through a polarizing microscope, it is substantially 100%. Moreover, the softening point can be measured by a fixed load weight extruder capillary rheometer. The conditions of stabilization of the pitch fibre can easily be determined by the lighter test. If when pitch fibres are placed within a lighter flame, the stabilization process is not complete, the fibre becomes limp of melts, whereas when stabilization is complete, the fibre's initial shape is maintained and the fibres begin to glow with a red color in the flame. The modified optical isotropic pitch obtained by the method of the present invention, whether as pitch fibres or as pitch granules, can be stabilized very easily. The stabilization treatment may be carried out under an atmosphere of, for example, oxygen, oxygen rich air, air, NO 2 gas or the like by raising the temperature at a rate of usually between about 2 °C to 15°C/minute and preferably between 3°C to 12°C/minute over a temperature range of between room temperature and 400°C and preferably up to 360 °C. When stabilizing most materials, after the temperature has risen, it should be maintained constant for several hours at the peak temperature. However, using the method of the present invention, it is not necessary to maintain this elevated temperature after the temperature rise has been completed so stabilization can be accomplished in a very short time. The optically isotropic pitch modified by the methods of the present invention can be used ideally for the carbon materials of activated carbon fibres and the anode materials of secondary batteries as shown below. Following is an explanation of the preparation method for making activated carbon fibres using the modified optical isotropic pitch of the present invention. The optically isotropic pitch modified by the oxidizing gas in a molten condition is passed through a nozzle of about 0.1 to 0.3 mm or so in diameter to produce pitch fibres which are then stabilized. The pitch fibers which have been stabilized are then given the following activation treatment: With regard to the activation treatment there are no particular limits, and it should be possible to use the activation methods of the prior art. For example, activation can be carried out by steam, carbon dioxide, oxygen or a gas containing at least one of these passed over the fibre of a temperature preferably between 700°C and 1000°C for between about 10 to 150 minutes. It is also acceptable to carbonise the stabilized pitch fibres at low temperature prior to activation and they can be carbonized after activation as well. As activation equipment, either batch activation type and continuous activation type equipment, of which there are plentiful examples known to the prior art, may be used. The molten spinning fibres made from the modified optically isotropic pitch of the present invention is easy to accomplish in a very short time. Moreover since activation can be carried out in a very short time, it is possible to manufacture activated carbon fibres industrially with high absorption capacity. In addition, the activated carbon fibres obtained by the present invention can be used effectively in gas separation or water treatment. Following is an explanation of the preparation method for making anode material for secondary batteries that use non-aqueous solvents using optically isotropic pitch obtained according to the present invention. After the modified pitch has been fashioned into granular, fibre or thin sheet form and stabilized, by calcining this stabilized pitch under a vacuum or a non-oxidizing gas, the anode use carbon material of the present invention may be obtained. The calcination temperature is between 800°C and 1800°C and preferably between 1000°C and 1300°C and the calcination time is selected so as to provide optimum results depending upon the particular raw materials used at between one and 50 hours. Moreover, it is acceptable to carry out pre-calcination at 800°C or less. As the non-oxidizing gas, nitrogen or argon are preferred. The non-oxidizing gas is provided to the reaction in a continuous flow and methods that balance the rate of flow to complement off-gassing from the calcination reaction or methods that force the removal of gas generated during the reaction using a vacuum may be optionally applied depending upon the materials and conditions used in a particular reaction. The anode material for a secondary battery using a non-aqueous solvent of the present invention is characterized in that the ability of this material to discharge at a potential of between 0 and 1.5V against a lithium metal potential represents a discharge capacity of 540 mAh/g or more. It also exhibits a flat discharge curve in the region between 0 and 0.2 V against a lithium metal potential representing a discharge capacity of 380 mAh/g and a first cycle capacity loss of 100 mAh/g or less. Therefore, the anode material for use in a secondary battery using a non-aqueous solvent of the present invention, in comparison with lithium secondary battery use carbon anode materials used heretofore, because it is superior from the standpoints of produceability, has a large discharge capacity and has reduced the first cycle capacity loss, it can be used for a large capacity, low cost secondary battery. The present invention will be explained in greater detail by the following practice examples provided that the present invention is in no way limited in scope by such examples. The analysis methods used in the practice examples are specified below. Analyses for carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen are performed simultaneously using a 2400 CHN type elemental analyzer made by Perkin Elmer as the analysis equipment. The measurement is carried out by placing a precisely measured sample of pitch weighing roughly 1.5 ± 0.2mg and after setting the simple in the measuring device, it is heated for 5 minutes at 975 °C and a TCD is conducted using helium as the carrier gas. Additionally, in measuring the sample, a small amount of acetonitrile (2.0 mg ± 0.1 mg) was tested at first to serve as a standard. I determining the ratio of the amount of aliphatic hydrogen to the total hydrogen in the sample, the 1 H-NMR method was used. Since almost the entire mass of pitch will dissolve to chloroform, a 1% solution of the pitch in chloroform was placed in the sample tube and the measurement was carried out by a Japan Electric (Inc.) JNM-EX270 NMR measurement device. In addition, TMS (tetramethyl silane) was used as the standard and set at a value of 0 ppm. 1 part by weight of modified optically isotropic pitch was added to 100 parts of KBr powder and mixed in an agate mortar. Then, it was set in a Japan Spectrographic (Inc.) FT/IR-5300, wide band reflective type measuring device set to D-81. The wide band spectra obtained were obtained by comparing the intensity of the peak at 2930cm -1 (the intensity of the aliphatic stretch vibration) with the intensity of the 3050cm -1 peak (the aromatic stretching vibration in spectra obtained by the Kubelka Munk transformation. About 50mg of the activated carbon fibre was taken, measured precisely and placed it in a 100 ml Ehrlenmeyer flask, 50 ml of 0.05 mol/L iodine solution were added and after stirring for 15 minutes at room temperature using a mechanical stirrer, the sample was separated using a centrifugal separator. 10 ml of the supernatant liquid were titrated using a sodium thiosulfate solution and the amount of iodine absorbed was calculated as follows: the amount of iodine absorbed (mg/g)= (10Xf' -KXf)X 12.69X5/M where: f': the coefficient of the iodine solution consumed by an 0.1mol/l sodium thiosulfate solution. K: the amount (ml) of 0.1 mol/l sodium thiosulfate solution needed for titration. f: the coefficient of the 0.1mol/l sodium thiosulfate solution 12. 69: the number of mg of 0.1 mol/l sodium thiosulfate solution consumed by 1ml of iodine solution. M: the weight of the sample (g) Example 1 Seven moles of a mixture of α and β methyl naphthalene were mixed with 5.15 moles of hydrofluoric acid in a 3L acid resistant autoclave equipped with a mechanical stirrer and 1.4 moles of boron trifluoride were added while stirring slowly. Next after raising the temperature to 100°C under the pressure self-generated by the reaction, the polymerization reaction is conducted with stirring at 100°C over 4 hours. After the reaction was complete, the catalyst was recovered using reduced pressure and the removal by vaporization of any remaining catalyst or unreacted raw materials is accomplished by passing three litres per minute of nitrogen gas through the vessel at 200 °C for 16 hours. The synthetic pitch obtained has a softening point of 76°C and the ratio of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms (H/C) is 0.87. Moreover, after grinding this pitch by the usual methods, when it was examined under a polarizing microscope, it's makeup was found to be 100% optically isotropic. Next, this synthetic pitch was placed in a different reaction vessel and was stirred while raising the temperature to 340°C and blowing nitrogen gas through the pitch. When the temperature inside the vessel was stabilized at 340 °C, the gas being blown through the pitch was changed from nitrogen to air to begin modification of the pitch. The air volume blown through the pitch at that time was 20 L/kg. After conducting the modification reaction for one hour, the reaction was stopped by exchanging the gas blown through the pitch back to nitrogen and reducing the temperature in the reaction vessel. The softening point of the modified optically isotropic pitch was 246°C, the H/C ratio was 0.63 and the optical makeup of the pitch was 100% isotropic. Next a pitch fibre was obtained by spinning the modified optically isotropic pitch in a molten state through a nozzle having a diameter of 0.15 mm in diameter. The pitch fibres were heated from room temperature to 320 °C at a rate of 4°C/minute and after reaching 320°C were taken from the apparatus. A degree of stabilization in which there was no melt adhesion of fibres was achieved completely following the above stabilization treatment. Moreover, the fibres were calcined and following calcination, no melt adhesion was observed to have taken place. In addition, the modified optically isotropic pitch was ground to a powder in a ball mill and the tests for melt adhesion were conducted in the same way they had been for the fibres but the stabilization was again observed to have been successful. Example 2 The modified optically isotropic pitch obtained in Example 1 was spun into fibres using the same methods as in Example 1 and the pitch fibres thus obtained were stabilized using air and raising the temperature to 320°C at a rate of 3°C/minute. The fibres thus obtained were observed to have been well stabilized such that they neither burned up nor fused together when heated. Next, these fibres were made to undergo activation treatment at 1000°C for 1 hour under an atmosphere of nitrogen containing 15% carbon dioxide to obtain activated carbon fibres. The activated carbon fibres thus obtained were absorbed 1400mg of iodine per gram of fibre. Example 3 After mixing 2 moles of the methyl naphthalene fraction of coal tar pitch, 1.46 moles of hydrofluoric acid and 0.4 moles of boron trifluoride in a 500 ml acid resistant autoclave and conducting the reaction at 135°C under self-generated pressure, the reaction was continued for 4 hours at 135°C. Next, the catalyst was recovered by reducing the pressure and following removal of any low boiling components by blowing 1 L of nitrogen through the pitch heated to 200 °C resulted in a synthetic pitch having a softening point of 89°C. The synthetic pitch thus obtained had a hydrogen to carbon ration (H/C) of 0.80. Moreover, after grinding the pitch to a powder by the usual means, when it was viewed under a polarizing microscope, it was observed to be 100% optically isotropic. This synthetic pitch was placed in another reaction vessel and was reacted for 40 minutes at 350°C while 20L of air per kilogram were blown through the pitch. The modified pitch thus obtained had a softening point of 220°C and an (H/C) ratio of 0.62. The optical makeup was 100% isotropic. The modified optically isotropic pitch thus obtained was spun into fibres by the same methods as in Example 1, and then, the spun pitch fibres thus obtained were stabilized by heating them at a rate of temperature increase of 3 °C /minute from room temperature until a temperature of 320°C was attained under a flow of air. The stabilized fibres thus obtained were observed to be stabilized such that melt adhesion and burning did not occur. Next the stabilized fibres were activated according to the same methods as in Example 2, and activated carbon fibres were obtained. The iodine absorption capacity of the activated carbon fibres thus obtained was 1940mg of iodine per gram of fibres. Example 4 1420 grams of ethylene bottom oil, 5.25 moles of hydrofluoric acid, and 1.5 moles of boron trifluoride were mixed in a three liter acid resistant autoclave and after raining the temperature to 120°C at self-generated pressure the reaction was conducted for 4 hours at 120°C. Next, the catalyst was recovered by reducing the pressure and after removing the low boiling components of the pitch by passing 3L/minute of nitrogen gas through the pitch at 120°C, a synthetic pitch having a softening point of 107°C was obtained. The synthetic pitch thus obtained had a hydrogen atom to carbon atom ratio of 0.95 and a pyridine insoluble fraction of 0.0%, the ratio of aliphatic hydrogen to all hydrogen present in the pitch was 66%, and the optical makeup was 100% isotropic. This synthetic pitch was placed in a different vessel and heated to 340°C and 20 L of air per kilogram of pitch were passed through the pitch to conduct the reaction over 2 hours. The modified optically isotropic pitch thus obtained had a softening point of 246°C, an (H/C) of 0.78 and the ratio of the intensity of the aliphatic C-H stretch vibration to the aromatic stretch vibration was 2.9 when measured by FT-IR. In addition, the optical makeup was 100% isotropic. After spinning the modified optically isotropic pitch thus obtained into fibres according to the same methods as in Example 1, the spun pitch fibres thus obtained were stabilised by heating from room temperature to 320 °C at a rate of temperature increase of 4°C/minute under a flow of air. The spun fibres thus obtained were stabilized well enough so that no melt adhesion or burning up were observed. Next, the stabilized fibres were activated according to the same methods in Example 2 and activated fibres were obtained. The activated fibres thus obtained absorbed 1330mg of iodine per gram of fibre. Comparative Experiment 1 10 moles of naphthalene, 2.07 moles of hydrofluoric acid and 1.16 moles of boron trifluoride were mixed in a 3 L acid resistant autoclave and, after raising the temperature to 210°C under self-generated pressure, the reaction was maintained at 210°C for four hours to complete the reaction. Next, the pressure was reduced to recover the catalyst and, after removing lighter boiling components of the pitch at 340 °C with 3 L/minute of nitrogen, a synthetic pitch with a softening point of 174°C was obtained. The synthetic pitch thus obtained had a hydrogen atom ratio to carbon atom ratio (H/C) of 0.64. Moreover, when this pitch was ground by the usual methods, when viewed by polarizing microscope, the optical makeup was 100% isotropic. The synthetic pitch was placed in a different vessel, and reacted for 1 hour at 340°C with 20 L per kilogram of air passed through the pitch. The softening point of the point thus obtained was 216°C, the (H/C) was 0.52 and the optical makeup was 100% isotropic. The modified optically isotropic pitch thus obtained was spun into fibres under melted conditions according to the same nethods as were used in Example 1, and the pitch fibres obtained was not possible to be stabilized at a rate of 0.5 °C /minute so as to avoid melt adhesion and burning up. At the slow rate of 0.25°C /minute temperature raise up to a maximum of 300°C, stabilization was conducted and it was then possible to obtain a stabilized pitch that did not burn up or adhere to itself. Next the stabilized fibre was activated according to the same conditions as were employed in Example 2, and an activated fibre was obtained, however, the iodine absorption amount of such activated fibre was low at 210 mg/g pitch fibre. Comparative Experiment 2 A commercially available coal tar pitch was placed in the reactor and the temperature inside the reaction vessel was raised to 320°C while stirring and blowing nitrogen gas through it. When the temperature inside the vessel had been stabilized to 320 °C, the gas being blown through the pitch was changed from nitrogen to air and the pitch was modified. The volume of air in this instance was 20L/kg. After the reaction had proceeded for one hour, the gas blown through the pitch was changed back to nitrogen from air and the reaction vessel was cooled to stop the reaction. The modified pitch thus obtained had a softening point of 227°C and its optical makeup was 100% isotropic. Next, the modified optical isotropic pitch thus obtained was melt spun according to the method of Example 1 to obtain a pitch fibre. This pitch fiber was heated at a rate of temperature increase of 4°C/minute from room temperature to 320°C and, after attaining 320°C, was removed from the apparatus. The fibre, following this stabilization procedure had adhered due to melting and the stabilizition process was inadequate. Whenever the rate of temperature increase was 0.5 °C /minute or more, and it was not possible to stabilize the fibres. When heating was carried out at the very slow rate of 0.25°C /minute up to a temperature of 300°C, stabilisation was achieved and a stabilized fibre that did not undergo melt adhesion could be obtained. When this stabilized fibre was activated according to the same methods as in Example 2, activated carbon fibres were obtained. The activated carbon fibres thus obtained exhibited the low iodine absorption value of 650mg/g of activated carbon fibres. Comparative Experiment 3 A pitch fibre was obtained by melt spinning the synthetic pitch of Comparative Experiment 1 without first modifying it. This pitch fibre was stabilized by heating at a rate of 4°C/minute from room temperature to 320°C. However, melted regions remained in the fibre and it was not possible to effect stabilization. Example 5 (Preparation for Lithium Secondary Battery Use Anode Material) Seven moles of methyl naphthalene, 3.68 moles of hydrofluoric acid and 1.16 moles of boron trifluoride were mixed in a 8 L acid resistant autoclave and after raising the temperature to 100°C under self-generated pressure, the reaction was conducted at 100°C for four hours. Next, the catalyst was recovered by reducing the pressure and after removing the low boiling components of the pitch by passing 3L/minute of nitrogen gas through the pitch at 200°C, a synthetic pitch having a softening point of 76°C was obtained. The synthetic pitch thus obtained had a hydrogen atom to carbon atom ratio of 0.95 and a pyridine insoluble fraction of 0.0%, the ratio of aliphatic hydrogen to all hydrogen present in the pitch was 58%. This synthetic pitch was placed in a different vessel and heated to 320 °C and 20 L of air per kilogram of pitch were passed through the pitch to conduct the reaction over 2 hours. The modified optically isotropic pitch thus obtained had a softening point of 200 °C. The ratio of hydrogen atoms contained in the pitch to carbon atoms (H/C) was 0.66, the ratio of the intensity of the aliphatic C-H stretching vibration band to the intensity of the aromatic stretching vibration band measured by FT-IR was 1.1. This modified optical isotropic pitch was ground to particles having a diameter of 200 µm or less. 10 grams of this material was placed on a flat ceramic dish and the placed in a muffle furnace under a flow of 1L per minute of air. After raising the temperature in the muffle furnace at a rate of 5°C/minute from 150°C to 300 °C and maintaining this latter temperature for 10 minutes. The treated material thus obtained was ground to an average particle diameter of 15 µm and then a small amount of this material was calcined at 1200 °C for two hours at 10 Torr under a slight flow of nitrogen gas. Ten parts by weight of polyfluorovinylidene powder (binder) was added to 90 parts by weight of the carbon material thus obtained, and after unifying them and mixing then using dimethyl formamide as the solvent, they were painted on a thin copper film and, after drying, cut into 1 centimeter squares which served as test electrodes. Next half cells were prepared with the test electrode, a 1.0 molar solution of LiClO 4 dissolved in a three component solvent consisting of ethylene carbonate, dimethylcarbonate and diethylcarbonate mixed in a ratio of 1/0.5/0.5 respectively as the electrolyte and a 50 µm thick microporous polypropylene film as the separator. Additionally, a lithium metal disk having a diameter of 16 mm and a thickness of 0.5mm was employed as a counter electrode. Moreover, a lithium metal disk meeting the same description served as the reference electrode. Charging was carried out at a constant current at a current density of 2mA/cm 2 up to a test electrode electrode potential versus the reference electrode of 1mV. Then, just as constant potential charging had been carried out at 1mV for 40 hours, the stored capacity was observed to be 647 mAh/g. Next, just as constant current discharge was carried out at a current density of 1mA/cm 2 up to a test electrode electrode potential versus the reference electrode of 1.5V, the discharge capacity was observed to be 562 mAh/g. There was a capacity loss of 85mAh/g and the discharge capacity between 0 and 0.2V was 417mAh/g. Example 6 Seven moles of dimethyl naphthalene, 4.90 moles of hydrofluoric acid and 1.40 moles of boron trifluoride were mixed in a 3 L acid resistant autoclave and after raising the temperature to 120°C under self generated pressure, the reaction was conducted at 120 °C for four hours. Next, the catalyst was recovered by reducing the pressure and after removing the low boiling components of the pitch by passing 3L/minute of nitrogen gas through the pitch at 200°C, a synthetic pitch having a softening point of 40°C was obtained. The synthetic pitch thus obtained had a hydrogen atom to carbon atom ratio of 0.91 and a pyridine impurity of 0.0%, the ratio of aliphatic hydrogen to all hydrogen present in the pitch was 66%. This synthetic pitch was placed in a different vessel and heated to 320 °C and 20 L of air per kilogram of pitch were passed through the pitch to conduct the reaction over 2 hours to obtain a 100% optically isotropic modified pitch with a softening point of 249 °C. This modified optically isotropic pitch had a ratio of hydrogen atoms contained in the pitch to carbon atoms (H/C) of o.65 and a ratio of the intensity of the aliphatic C-H stretching vibration band to the intensity of the aromatic stretching vibration band measured by FT-IR of 1.6. This modified optical isotropic pitch was ground to particles having a diameter of 200 µm or less. 10 grams of this material was placed on a flat ceramic dish and the placed in a muffle furnace under a flow of 1L per minute of air. After raising the temperature in the muffle furnace at a rate of 5°C/minute from 150°C to 300°C and maintaining this latter temperature for 10 minutes. The treated material thus obtained was ground to particles having an average diameter of 15 µm and then a small amount of this material was calcined at 1200°C for two hours at 10 Torr under a slight flow of nitrogen gas. When the anode material was evaluated according to the methods of Example 5, a storage capacity of 635 mAh/g, and a discharge capacity of 547 mAh/g were observed. The capacity loss was 88 mAh/g and the discharge capacity between 0 and 0.2 V versus the lithium metal counterelectrode was 397 mAh/g. Example 7 (Preparation for Lithium Secondary Battery Use Anode Material) The modified optically anisotropic pitch obtained in Example 4 was ground to a powder of less than 200 µm in diameter, 10 grams of this powder were placed in a muffle furnace under a flow of 1 liter per minute of air and after raising the temperature from 150°C at a rate of 5 °C/minute from 150 d°C to 280 °C was maintained at 280°C for 10 minutes and then removed from the furnace. The material thus obtained was treated to give a powder having an average particle diameter of 15 µm, which powder was then calcined for 2 hours at 1200 °C under a slight flow of nitrogen and a pressure of 12 Torr to obtain a carbon material in powdered form. When this powdered material was evaluated as an anode material according to the same methods as Example 5, the storage capacity was 658 mAh/g, and the discharge capacity was 600 mAh/g. The capacity loss was 58 mAh/g and the discharge capacity for the potential region of 0 to 0.2 volts versus the lithium metal potential was 429 mh/g. Comparative Experiment 4 A coal tar pitch having a softening point of 76°C, a ratio of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms contained in the pitch (H/C) of 0.55, a pyridine insoluble fraction of 0,1% and a ratio of aliphatic carbon to total carbon in the pitch of 3% was placed within a reaction vessel and reacted for 1 hour through which a flow of 20 liters of air per minute per kilogram of material was passed to obtain an modified 100% optically isotropic pitch with a softening point of 243 °C. The ratio of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms contained in this modified optically isotropic pitch (H/C) was 0.48, the ratio of the intensity of the aliphatic C-H stretching band as opposed to the aromatic C-H stretching band as measured by FT-IR was 0.0. This modified optically isotropic pitch was ground to a powder having an average particle diameter of 200 µm or less, 10 grams of this powder were placed on a ceramic dish and placed in a muffle furnace where, under a flow of 1 liter of air per minute, it was heated from 150°C to 320 °C at a rate of 5 °C/minute and then maintained at 320°C for 10 minutes following which it was removed from the furnace. The material thus obtained was melted by raising the temperature and then cooled to a mass. This was ground to a powder having a particle size of 15 µm which was then calcined under a slight flow of nitrogen at 10 Torr and at 1200 d°C for 2 hours to obtain a powdered carbon material. When this was evaluated as an anode material according to the methods of Example 5, the storage capacity was observed to be 525 mAh/s and the discharge capacity was observed to be 398mAh/g. The capacity loss was very large at 127 mAh/g and the overall discharge capacity of the battery was reduced. The discharge capacity for the potential region of 0 to 0.2 versus lithium metal was small at 230 mAh/g. Comparative Experiment 5 Seven moles of naphthalene, 2.45 moles of hydrofluoric acid and 0.77 moles of boron trifluoride were added to a 3 liter acid resistant autoclave and reacted by raising the temperature at self-generated pressure to 100 °C and then maintaining it there for 4 hours. Then the catalyst was recovered by reducing the pressure after which the material was maintained at a temperature of 200°C under a flow of 3L of nitrogen per minute to remove lighter components to obtain a pitch having a softening point of 82°C. The ratio of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms in this synthetic pitch was 0.76, the pyridine insoluble fraction was 0.0% and the ratio of the intensity of the aliphatic C-H stretching bands to total C-H stretching bands when measured by FT-IR was 35%. The synthetic pitch thus obtained was reacted by placing it in another reaction vessel and 20 L of air per kilogram of material were blown through it at 340°C over 4 hours to obtain an modified 100% optically isotropic pitch having a softening point of 234°C. The ratio of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms to this modified optically isotropic pitch (H/C) was 0.49, and the ratio of aliphatic C-H stretching band intensity to aromatic C-H stretching band intensity was 0.20. This modified pitch was ground to a powder having a particle diameter of 200 µm or less, 10 grams of this powder were placed on a ceramic dish and then placed in a muffle furnace where a flow of 1 L of air per minute was maintained and the heat was raised at a rate of 5°C /minute from 150°C to 320°C after which it was maintained at 320°C for 30 minutes. The material obtained was melted into a mass by heating it. This mass was then treated to obtain a powder having a particle diameter of 15 µm which was calcined at 1200 a°C 10 Torr under a slight flow of nitrogen for 2 hours to obtain a powdered carbon material. The material thus obtained was evaluated as a battery anode material according to the methods of Example 5. The storage capacity was 535 mAh/g and the discharge capacity was 403 mAh/g. The capacity loss was very large at 132 mAh/g and the battery discharge capacity was also low. The discharge corresponding to the potential region of 0 to 0.2 volts versus lithium metal was very small at 240 mAh/g.

Claims: A method for preparing a modified optically isotropic pitch wherein a synthetic pitch having a softening point of 200°C or less is obtained by polymerising at a temperature from 20°C to 250°C a conjugated polycyclic hydrocarbon containing an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or a material containing such a substituted hydrocarbon using hydrofluoric acid/boron trifluoride as catalyst and said synthetic pitch is then treated by forcing an oxidizing gas through it at elevated temperatures. A method for preparing a modified optically isotropic pitch according to claim 1 wherein the alkyl group is a methyl group. A method for preparing a modified optically isotropic pitch according to claim 1 wherein the softening point of the modified optically isotropic pitch is between 180 °C and 350 'C. A method for preparing an activated carbon fibre wherein the modified optically isotropic pitch prepared by the method of any of claims 1 to 3 is spun into fibres, and subjected to activation treatment following stabilization. A method for preparing activated carbon fibres according to claim 4 wherein the ratio of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms is between 0.5 and 1 and the optical characteristics of the said pitch are effectively 100% isotropic. A method for preparing activated carbon fibre according to claim 4 wherein the softening point of the modified optically isotropic pitch is between 180°C and 350°C, the ratio of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms in said pitch is 0.5 to 0.8 and the optical characteristics of said pitch are 100% isotropic. A method for preparing a carbon material for use in the anodes of secondary batteries that use non-aqueous solvents wherein the modified optically isotropic pitch obtained in any of claims 1 to 3 is stabilised and then calcined. A method for preparing a carbon material for use in the anodes of secondary batteries according to claim 7 wherein the softening point of the modified optically isotropic pitch is between 180°C and 350'C, the ratio of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms in said pitch is between 0.50 and 0.80, and the absorption band corresponding to aliphatic C-H stretching measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to the corresponding aromatic C-H band is 0.5 or more. A method for preparing a carbon material for use in the anodes of secondary batteries according to claim 7 wherein the stabilization method comprises heating the synthetic pitch of claims 1 to 3 to a temperature of from room temperature up to 400°C while forcing the oxidizing gas through such pitch.

Inventors: HIGASHIIZUMI TAKAAKI, HIRAI YASUHIRO, KANNO KOICHI, KOIKE NOBUYUKI, OISHI JITSUO, SAKAI YUKIO, SAKAMOTO HITOSHI, SHIBAHARA KYOKO, TAKAHASHI YUZURU, YOSHIMURA TAKAHUMI, HIGASHIIZUMI, TAKAAKI, HIRAI, YASUHIRO, KANNO, KOICHI, KOIKE, NOBUYUKI, OISHI, JITSUO, SAKAI, YUKIO, SAKAMOTO, HITOSHI, SHIBAHARA, KYOKO, TAKAHASHI, YUZURU, YOSHIMURA, TAKAHUMI, Higashiizumi, Takaaki Mitsubishi Gas Chem. Co.Inc., Hirai, Yasuhiro, Mitsubishi Gas Chem. Co. Inc., Kanno, Koichi, Mitsubishi Gas Chem. Co. Inc., Koike, Nobuyuki, Mitsubishi Gas Chem. Co. Inc., Oishi, Jitsuo, Mitsubishi Gas Chem. Co. Inc., Sakai, Yukio, Mitsubishi Gas Chem. Co. Inc., Sakamoto, Hitoshi, Mitsubishi Gas Chem. Co. Inc., Shibahara, Kyoko, Mitsubishi Gas Chem. Co. Inc., Takahashi, Yuzuru, Mitsubishi Gas Chem. Co. Inc., Yoshimura, Takahumi, Mitsubishi Gas Chem. Co. Inc.
Applicants: MITSUBISHI GAS CHEMICAL CO, MITSUBISHI GAS CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: C10C3
IPC codes: C10C3, D01F9, H01M4