Expansion Mechanism of Expandable Graphite Formed by Natural Graphite with Different Particle Size

Using three natural graphites with different particle sizes, 80, 50 and 35 mesh, as raw material, three expanded graphites were prepared by irradiating expandable graphite in a microwave oven. Results show that the particle size of natural graphite influences strongly the expansion ratio of expanded graphite, and the larger the particle size, the larger the expansion ratio. In addition, the expansion mechanism of expandable graphite is discussed.