Fractal structure change of pitch-based carbon fiber during high-temperature heat treatment

High-temperature treatment (HTT) is a vital process to change the structure and improve the performance of pitch-based carbon fiber. The complexity of pore structure and their change during heating can be described by a mathematical concept of fractal. This short contribution reports an in-situ synchrotron radiation small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) study on the fractal structure change of a kind of pitch-based carbon fiber during heating from 1200 °C to 1700 °C with Joule effect in a small furnace. The change of the fractal structure at different azimuth angles with temperature is revealed, and the corresponding mechanism is analyzed.