Effect of activation on the porous structure and the strain and strength properties of beech wood biocarbon

Abstract

The effect of activation on the size, specific volume, and surface area of pores in a monolithic biomorphic material obtained by carbonization of beech wood is studied. It is shown that under optimal activation mode with a steam heated to 970°C, the total pore volume and surface, determined by adsorption curves, increased by 20 and 18 times, respectively. With the use of high-precision interferometric procedure, strain curves are obtained under uniaxial compression with a stepwise loading, and the strain rate is measured with a step of moving of 325 nm for activated and nonactivated samples. Despite an increase in porosity, the strength and maximum deformation of the samples do not decrease. The behavior of the strain rate jumps is analyzed in the micro- and nanometer range. It is shown that the maximum size of the micrometer jumps (4 μm) correlates well with the average size of the possible strain area in the samples (the average distance between the pores of small size), and the minimum dimensions of the strain jumps are close to the size of mesopores. Assessment of the strain change and its rate upon activation indicates that the effect of activation on the strain and strength characteristics is defined by nanometer defects, the most likely of which are microand mesopores.