Small-angle neutron scattering from samples of expanded carbon

The subatomic structure of expanded graphite has been investigated by small-angle neutron scattering. Samples were synthesized during quick thermal decomposition of intercalated compounds based on oxidized graphite. They had a low bulk density (up to 0.1 g/cm(3)) and were characterized by considerable small-angle scattering. It has been established that majority of the volume of expanded graphite samples is occupied by participles with characteristic sizes in two ranges: from 6 to 8 nm and from 20 to 30 nm. Small particles have properties of a surface fractal with the dimension D-s = 2.4-2.6, whereas the larger particles are mainly smooth and have the dimension D-s = 2.0-2.1. The specific surface of the samples studied was determined from the small-angle scattering data.