| Mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers are an ideal material for applications in which high rates of heat dissipation and low mass are required. Unfortunately, the high cost of current commercial high thermal conductivity mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers has limited their use in high volume applications. Understanding how the structure develops during the fiber formation process and how this structure relates to the final fiber properties is the way to optimizing the fiber properties while reducing the processing costs.;Ribbon-shaped fibers have been developed at Clemson University and are being evaluated as a low-cost high thermal conductivity alternative fiber to traditional round-shaped fibers. However, the characterization of the thermal transport properties of carbon fibers is a difficult and time-consuming process.;The objectives of this study were to evaluate the transport (both thermal and electronic) properties of ribbon-shaped fibers produced from an AR mesophase at different processing conditions, to characterize the structure of these fibers, to study their structure-property relationships, and to develop a model capable of estimating the thermal conductivity of carbon fibers based upon their structural parameters.;For this purpose, several sets of ribbon fibers were produced from an AR mesophase at different spinning temperatures and shear rates and heat treated at a final temperature of 2400°C. The electrical resistivities, magnetoresistances and thermal conductivities of these fibers were measured and the structural parameters were determined with x-ray techniques. Two approaches (a short-fiber composite, and a periodic composite) were utilized to model the relationship between the structure of the fiber and its thermal conductivity.;The results of this study confirmed that ribbon-shaped fibers develop excellent transport properties at lower graphitization temperatures than those used commercially for round-shaped fibers. Additionally, for the first time, two models that directly relate the structure of the carbon fiber to its thermal conductivity were developed. |
