Preparation of activated carbon fabric and its thermal insulation performance

The activated carbon fabric was prepared in a horizontal tube furnace by carbonizing ordinary cotton fabric under the protection of 850 ℃ nitrogen system. The surface structure of the fabric was observed by using the microscopy,and the infrared spectra was employed to characterize the functional group inside the carbonized cotton fibers. The thermal accumulation, contact heat transfer, and coefficient of thermal conductivity of the fabric were tested. After carbonization,the surface structure of the activated carbon fabric remained intact,but the groups inside the fiber were destroyed,the strength of the fabric reduced greatly; activated carbon fabric exhibited faster thermal accumulation and temperature rising than cotton fabric,quickly reaching the temperature balance and reducing energy consumption; activated carbon fabric showed lower transient heat flow than cotton,absorbed less heat in the process of contact with heat source and hence reduced the loss of energy; and activated carbon fabric has smaller heat transfer coefficient and better insulation than cotton fabric.