Vapor grown carbon fiber and method for producing the same

Abstract

A method for producing vapor grown carbon fiber including the step of thermally decomposing an organic compound and an inorganic transition metallic compound, serving as main raw materials, is disclosed. The inorganic transition metallic compound is a transition metal chloride, and the amount of transition metal chloride 0.01 to 20 mass % is based on the entire amount of the organic compound. The carbon fiber, a resin composition and a battery containing the carbon fiber are also disclosed.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for producing vapor grown carbon fiber comprising thermally decomposing an organic compound and an inorganic transition metallic compound, 
 wherein the inorganic transition metallic compound is a transition metal chloride, and the amount of transition metal chloride is about 0.01 to about 20 mass % based on the entire amount of the organic compound.    
     
     
         2 . The method for producing vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising dissolving the transition metal chloride in the organic compound, vaporizing the resultant solution to form a gas mixture containing the organic compound and the transition metal chloride; mixing the gas mixture with a carrier gas, and feeding the resultant gas mixture to a carbon fiber production zone.  
     
     
         3 . The method for producing vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising forming a gas mixture of a carrier gas and a gas of the organic compound; mixing the gas mixture with a gas of the transition metal chloride, and feeding the resultant gas mixture to a carbon fiber production zone.  
     
     
         4 . The method for producing vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising forming fine transition metal chloride particles by spraying a solution of the transition metal chloride; forming a gas mixture of a carrier gas and a gas of the organic compound; feeding the fine transition metal chloride particles, the carrier gas, and the organic compound gas to a carbon fiber production zone.  
     
     
         5 . The method for producing vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the transition metal chloride is a chloride of at least one transition metal selected from the group consisting of iron, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, and vanadium.  
     
     
         6 . The method for producing vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the transition metal chloride is at least one chloride selected from the group consisting of iron chloride, nickel chloride, and cobalt chloride.  
     
     
         7 . The method for producing vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the organic compound is an aromatic compound, acetylene, ethylene, butadiene, or a mixture thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The method for producing vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the aromatic compound is benzene, toluene, xylene, or naphthalene.  
     
     
         9 . The method for producing vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said dissolving comprises adding at least one dissolution aid selected from the from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol and acetone to the organic compound.  
     
     
         10 . A vapor grown carbon fiber obtained by a method comprising thermally decomposing an organic compound and an inorganic transition metallic compound, serving as main raw materials, wherein the inorganic transition metallic compound is a transition metal chloride, and the amount of transition metal chloride is 0.01 to 20 mass % based on the entire amount of the organic compound.  
     
     
         11 . The vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the carbon fiber comprises fiber filaments each having an outer diameter of about 1 to about 500 nm and a length of about 0.5 to about 100 μm.  
     
     
         12 . The vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the transition metal chloride is iron chloride, and the carbon fiber comprises fiber filaments each having an outer diameter of about 1 to about 500 nm and a length of about 0.5 to about 100 μm, and containing iron in an amount of about 5 mass % or less.  
     
     
         13 . A resin composition comprising a resin and a vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 10 .  
     
     
         14 . A secondary battery comprising, as an electrode material, a vapor grown carbon fiber as claimed in  claim 10.