ESR study of activated carbon fibers: preliminary results

We have carried out Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) measurements on activated carbon fibers (ACF) with specific surface areas (SSA) of 3000 and 2000 m²/g. The ESR spectrum of ACF fibers in air is extremely broad (500 to 1000 Gauss), and the spin susceptibility decreases rapidly with decreasing specific surface area. Also measured was the ESR signal of the desorbed fibers in vacuum. As a result of desorption, the broad peak decreases slightly in intensity, and a narrow (≍65 Gauss at room temperature) peak appears. We report results on the temperature dependence of both peaks. The narrow peak is interpreted as due to spins associated with dangling bonds, whereas we attribute the broad peak to the conduction carrier spins which is broadened by the boundary scattering process (T₁ contribution) and the dipolar broadening process (T₂ contribution) associated with the dangling bond spins.