Intercalation of manganese chloride into mesophase pitch-based graphite fibers via gaseous complexes

The intercalation of certain metal chlorides into carbon fibers presents some problems, which depend on both their structure (three-dimensional ordering in particular) and the intercalation techniques. In this work, the intercalation of manganese chloride into pitch-based carbon fibers was investigated. The use of manganese chloride in the presence of iron(III) chloride or copper(II) chloride enhances the vapor pressure of the manganese salt and thus makes easier the intercalation process. The results of this work confirm the existence of FeCl3–MnCl2 complexes in the gaseous phase during intercalation. Stage-I intercalation compounds have been obtained for different graphite fibers. Several experimental techniques were used to characterize both the pristine and the intercalated graphite fibers, including X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and electrical resistivity measurements.