handbook of carbon, graphite, diamond and fullerenes

6 Carbon, Graphite, Diamond, and Fullerenes
Table 1.2. Major Processes for the Production of Carbon Materials
Process Carbon Product
Molding/carbonization Molded graphite
Vitreous carbon
Pyrolysis/combustion Lampblack
Carbon black
Extrusion/carbonization Carbon fiber
High-pressure/shock Diamond
Chemical Vapor Deposition Polycrystalline diamond
Pyrolytic graphite
Sputtering/plasma Diamond-like carbon (DLC)
6.0 PROFILE OF THE INDUSTRY
6.1 Overview of the Industry
The wide variety of carbon-derived materials is reflected in the
diversity of the industry, from small research laboratories developing
diamond coatings to very large plants producing graphite electrodes.
Together, these organizations form one of the world's major industries.
However, black art and secrecy still prevail in many sectors and
progress often seems to occur independently with little interaction and
coordination when actually the various technologies share the same
scientific basis, the same principles, the same chemistry, and in many cases
the same equipment. A purpose and focus of this book is to bring these
divergent areas together in one unified whole and to accomplish, in a book
form, what has been the goal for many years of several academic groups
such as the Pennsylvania State University.
Yet progress is undeniable. The technology is versatile and dynamic
and the scope of its applications is constantly expanding. It is signif icantthat
three of the most important discoveries in the field of materials in the last
thirty years are related to carbon: carbon fibers, low-pressure diamond
synthesis, and, very recently, the fullerene molecules.