Formation of self-supporting porous graphite structures by Spark Plasma Sintering of nickel-amorphous carbon mixtures

Graphitization of amorphous carbon in the presence of nickel has been reported for various configurations of the metal-carbon interface; however, no study has been performed to evaluate a possibility of forming self-supporting networks by sintering of the in situ formed graphite. In this work, we have shown that Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) of nickel-amorphous carbon mixtures containing 50 vol% of Ni at 1000 °C results in the formation of networks formed by sintered graphite platelets 50-200 nm thick and 0.3-2 μm in diameter. Upon selective dissolution of nickel, a self-supporting porous 3D skeleton was revealed in 20 mm-diameter compacts. Starting from the mechanically milled Ni-C mixture, porous graphite of uniform microstructure and containing submicron pores was obtained. A model study has been performed, in which a thin amorphous carbon film graphitized during annealing and formed a continuous graphite film with micron-sized grains covering an area of 2 cm×2 cm of the surface of a Ni foil. We discuss the role of the in situ formation of graphite by nickel-assisted graphitization in the formation of networks consisting of well sintered platelets during the SPS and the design possibilities of porous carbon materials produced by phase separation in nickel-graphite composites.