MICROFIBROUS CARBON SUBSTANCE ORIGINATING IN CELLULOSE MATERIAL AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

摘要

To prevent microfibrils in a cellulose material from disintegration, cellulose is dried and then carbonized or graphitized while avoiding factors causative of the disintegration, i.e., the effect of surface tension of water contained in the cellulose and crystallization of the water during freezing. Drying can be carried out by one of the following methods: (1) critical point drying after swelling the cellulose material in, for example, liquid carbon dioxide; (2) heat drying or freeze drying after swelling the cellulose material in an organic solvent; and (3) quick freeze drying while avoiding the formation of ice crystals after swelling the cellulose material in, for example, water. By carbonizing or graphitizing the thus dried material, aggregation among microfibrils or disintegration of the microfibril structure can be prevented, which makes it possible to process a bar−type or network microfibrous carbon material in a state of preserving microfibrils.