Carbonization of pitches in geometrically restricted spaces. Application to granular carbon–carbon composites C. Fontugne, S. Bonnamy, J.-N. Rouzaud * Centre de Recherche sur la Matie `re Divise ´e (CRMD) CNRS-Universite ´ d’Orle ´ans, 1b rue de la Fe ´rollerie, 45071 Orle ´ans Cedex 2, France Received 19 February 2002; received in revised form 9 April 2002; accepted 10 April 2002 Abstract During granular carbon – carbon composites manufacturing, the binder (a pitch) is carbonized while surrounded by solid filler particles. This geometrical limitation imposed on the carbonization medium results in constraints responsible for textural modifications of the pitch-based coke. We studied the consequences of geometrical limitation on pitch carbonization, and also the influence of the as-formed composites multiscale organization on their mechanical properties and carboxyr- eactivity behavior. The micrometer scale is relevant to understand composite reactivity while the submillimeter scale enables a better comprehension of the mechanical properties. D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Carbonization; Granular composite; Pitch; Reactivity; Porosity 1. Introduction Granular carbon – carbon composites are obtained by the consecutive pyrolyses at 1273 K (carbonization) and 3073 K (graphitization) of a blend of millimeter-size coke grains, micrometer-size fines (coke grains, natural or artificial graphite or anthracite) bound by an organic binder (a pitch in the present case), the latter ensuring the mixture’s cohesion. Physicochemical, textural and structural characteristics of each component (grains, fines, pitches), as well as their association mode, are responsible for the multiscale organization 0378-3820/02/$ - see front matter D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII:S0378-3820(02)00180-7 * Corresponding author. Fax: +33-2-38-53-25-76. E-mail address: rouzaud@cnrs-orleans.fr (J.-N. Rouzaud). www.elsevier.com/locate/fuproc Fuel Processing Technology 79 (2002) 239– 244