Structural transformations of graphite during dispersion

Abstract

The change in the fine structure of graphite dispersed in a planetary mill for up to 2700 minutes has been studied by the method of X-ray diffraction analysis. The profiles of the asymmetric X-ray diffraction 002 peak of graphite samples were investigated using a code that allows one to isolate overlapping peaks with different gravity centers, intensities, and widths. Separation was carried out into the minimum number of components that adequately describe the experimentally observed asymmetric peak. It is shown that the asymmetric peak consists of a superposition of symmetric peaks of increasing width and corresponding to the values of interlayer distances d002 in the range from 3.37 to 3.55 / 3.68 Å. The observed dependence of the component composition on the duration of dispersion suggests that the process of the transition of graphite into a disordered carbon material, apparently, develops through a number of metastable states.