Silver Up-Take by Modified Pitches

The modification of coal-tar pitch has been carried out by heat treatment of pitch at different temperatures in the range ($300^{\circ}-400^{\circ}C$) for different times (2-5 hrs) in air and nitrogen. The pitch heat treated in air at lower temperature ($300^{\circ}C$) exhibit increase in softening point by $20^{\circ}C$ as compared to only $2^{\circ}C$ when treated in nitrogen. The changes are faster in air than in pure nitrogen. Pitch as such as well as after heat treatment were further treated with metal complexes by solution route. Silver intake has been found to increase from 0.5 to 0.8 % in nitrogen treated pitch while the uptake is found to decrease for pitches treated in air at $350^{\circ}C$ for 5 hrs. Experiments have also been made to incorporate silver into PAN and PAN-ox fibers through solution route. The metal intake has been found to be more in PAN-ox fibers than in PAN as such. Metal loaded carbon composites have been made by using metal loaded fibers as well as cokes. These composites as such exhibit higher surface oxygen complexes but decrease after activation.