A study on pore-opening behaviors of graphite nanofibers by a chemical activation process

In this work, porous graphite nanofibers (GNFs) were prepared by a KOH activation method in order to manufacture porous carbon nanofibers. The process was conducted in the activation temperature range of 900-1100 °C, and the KOH:GNFs ratio was fixed at 3.5:1. The textural properties of the porous carbons were analyzed using N₂ adsorption isotherms at 77 K. The BET, D-R, and BJH equations were used to observe the specific surface areas and the micro- and mesopore structures, respectively. From the results, it was found that the textural properties, including the specific surface area and the pore volumes, were proportionally enhanced with increasing activation temperatures. However, the activation mechanisms showed quite significant differences between the samples activated at low and high temperatures.