The historical background and development of artificial graphite can be traced back to the mid-19th century, when the demand for carbon materials increased with the development of electrochemistry and electrothermal fields, which promoted the research and development and application of artificial graphite. In 1886, Americans Kastner and Acheson invented methods to convert amorphous carbon into graphite crystals, which marked the birth of artificial graphite electrodes. Subsequently, Acheson's graphitization furnace and Kastner's graphitization furnace appeared in 1895 and 1896 respectively. After about ten years, artificial graphite was produced on an industrial scale. 1. Definition and application of artificial graphite: In a broad sense, all graphite materials obtained by organic carbonization and then graphitization high temperature treatment can be called artificial graphite, including carbon fiber, pyrolytic carbon, foamed graphite, etc. In a narrow sense, artificial graphite usually refers to block solid materials such as graphite electrodes and isostatic graphite, which are made from carbonaceous raw materials with low impurity content as aggregates and coal tar as binder through processes such as batching, kneading, molding, carbonization and graphitization.
The difference between artificial graphite and natural graphite: artificial graphite is graphite made by artificial methods. The main raw materials include petroleum coke and asphalt, which are highly graphitized after high-temperature treatment. Natural graphite is a graphite mineral existing in nature, with different purity and crystal forms.