Graphite can be divided into natural graphite and artificial graphite, the two structures are similar, similar physical and chemical properties, but there is a big difference in use. In many studies, some researchers did not notice the difference between the two and generally referred to as graphite. The result of the confusion between the two has caused a lot of misleading, even the wrong decision-making, resulting in a great waste of resources and economic losses. In this paper, from the perspective of the structure and properties of natural graphite and artificial graphite, the characteristics and differences between them are discussed.

　　1 Graphite classification and characteristics:

　　1.1 natural graphite

　　Natural graphite is carbon rich organic matter in the geological environment of high temperature and pressure for a long time under the action of the formation of the transformation, is the crystallization of nature. The technological characteristics of natural graphite mainly depend on its crystalline morphology. Crystalline forms of different minerals with different industrial values and uses. There are many kinds of natural graphite, according to different crystal morphology, will be divided into natural graphite industry compact crystalline graphite, graphite and aphanitic graphite three. Our country mainly aphanitic graphite flake graphite and two categories.

　　1.2 synthetic graphite

　　Multi crystal graphite is similar to the crystallographic. A wide variety of artificial graphite, different production processes. Broadly speaking, all organic compounds obtained by carbonization and then graphitised after high temperature treatment of graphite materials can be referred to as artificial graphite like carbon (graphite) fiber, pyrolytic carbon (graphite), graphite foam etc.. While in a narrow sense of artificial graphite usually refers to the impurity content of low carbon raw materials (petroleum coke and pitch coke etc.) as aggregate, coal tar as the binder, after mixing, kneading, molding and carbonization (industry called roasting) bulk solid material and graphite and other processes in the system. Such as graphite electrode, hot isostatic graphite etc..

　　2 natural graphite and artificial graphite

　　In view of the natural graphite as the raw material to prepare the general is the narrow sense of artificial graphite, only to analyze and discuss the difference between natural graphite and narrow artificial graphite.

　　2.1 crystal structure

　　Natural graphite: crystal development is more perfect, the scale graphite graphitization degree is more than 98%, and the natural microcrystalline graphite graphitization degree is usually below 93%.

　　Synthetic graphite: crystal growth depends on the raw materials and heat treatment temperature. In general, the higher the heat treatment temperature, the higher the degree of graphitization. At present, the industrial production of artificial graphite, the degree of graphitization is usually less than 90%.

　　2.2 organizational structure

　　Natural flake graphite is a kind of crystal structure is relatively simple, only the defects on Crystallography (such as point defects, dislocations, stacking faults, etc.) characterized by macroscopic anisotropy. The grain size of natural microcrystalline graphite is small, the grains are arranged in disorder and there are holes after impurity removal.

　　Artificial graphite: can be regarded as a kind of heterogeneous material, including petroleum coke and pitch coke and carbon particles into the coating, Shi Moxiang transformation in coal asphalt binder particles around the graphite phase, particles or coal asphalt binder formed by heat treatment such as pores.

　　2.3 physical form

　　Natural graphite: usually in the form of powder, can be used alone, but often combined with other materials after the use of.

　　Artificial graphite: more forms, both powder, but also fiber and block, and the narrow sense of artificial graphite is usually a block, the need to be processed into a certain shape.

　　2.4 physical and chemical properties

　　In terms of physical and chemical properties, natural graphite and artificial graphite have both generality and difference in performance. Such as natural graphite and artificial graphite is a good conductor of heat and electricity, but for the same purity graphite powder and particle size, natural flake graphite, conductive heat transfer performance and the best performance of natural graphite, artificial graphite minimum. The graphite has good lubricity and certain plasticity, development of natural flake graphite crystal is perfect, the friction coefficient is small, the best lubrication, the highest plasticity, and dense crystalline graphite and the aphanitic graphite, artificial graphite.

　　3 natural graphite and artificial graphite

　　Graphite has many excellent properties, so it is widely used in metallurgical, mechanical, electrical, chemical, textile, national defense and other industrial sectors. The application fields of natural graphite and artificial graphite have overlapping parts and different places.

　　3.1 metallurgical industry

　　In the metallurgical industry, natural flake graphite because of good oxidation resistance can be used for production of refractory materials and aluminum carbon brick and magnesia carbon brick. The artificial graphite can be used as the electrode of the steel making, and the electrode made of the natural graphite is difficult to be used in the electric furnace with the harsh conditions.

　　3.2 mechanical industry

　　In the mechanical industry, graphite materials are usually used as wear-resistant and lubricating materials. Natural flake graphite has good lubricity and is often used as additive in lubricating oil. The equipment used for conveying corrosive medium is made of synthetic graphite made of piston ring, sealing ring and bearing. Natural graphite and polymer resin composite material can also be used in the field, but not as good as artificial graphite.

　　3.3 chemical industry

　　Synthetic graphite has the advantages of corrosion resistance, good thermal conductivity, low permeability and so on. It is widely used in chemical industry, such as heat exchanger, reaction tank, absorption tower, filter and so on. Natural graphite and polymer resin composite material can also be used in the above fields, but the thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance as artificial graphite.

　　The natural graphite is one of the most important mineral raw materials in the traditional and the emerging industry in China and the development of natural graphite is getting huger and huger.

　　Because of the special nature of graphite, America and European countries take that as a strategic resources. The export of graphite is restricted strictly. However in China, there are many problems of graphite mining and producing such as the waste of resources, pollution, disorder and capacity surplus. Therefore in the future, Chinese government will take some action to manage the graphite market.

　　Graphite is the top quality of mine in China and the species of graphite export is the natural and primary graphite in a low price. However, China imports the High-tech graphite products from foreign countries with high price.

　　According to the research of graphite development, the demand of graphite in 2020 will reach 1miliion t, 42.5% growth rate higher than 2010. At the consumer market, the traditional field is still the central part of graphite demand, but the proportion of traditional market will be lower than before. Some new field such as new energy car will bloom and it will stimulate the graphite development in the future.

　　Meanwhile, the graphene development is taking an important role In China. The graphene has a huge potential in electronic devices, new energy, aerospace industry, biomedicine etc. and the graphene will become the next huge market in the world. Many developed countries now are researching graphene and the graphene market is blooming. Therefore, the development of graphene will lead to the growth of natural graphite, and a great amount of new energy industries will emerge in the future.

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　　Graphite is a super material of chemical industry, the chemical stability of the very prominent, acid and alkali resistance, corrosion resistance, in the chemical industry has a special position.

　　Natural graphite with bulk graphite and flake graphite is the best, the most widely used. I haven't found massive blocky Graphite Deposit, flake graphite and aphanitic graphite has a large deposit, and formed a large-scale mining base.

　　Natural graphite has many excellent properties, so it is widely used in various sectors of the national economy, especially in the metallurgical, mechanical, electrical, chemical industry has been widely used.

　　Graphite has outstanding resistance to high temperature and low temperature resistance properties, a small expansion coefficient, volume stability, so it can anti quench heat changes, the graphite resistance high temperature properties and general metal different when the temperature rises, it is not tend to soften, and its strength instead of increased.

　　Graphite is a good conductor of heat and electricity, similar to how the heat transfer performance and conductive performance and most metals, but also its characteristics, general metal when the temperature increases, thermal conductivity increased, and the thermal conductivity of graphite on the contrary, at elevated temperature, the thermal conductivity instead. At extremely high temperatures, the graphite tends to be insulated, and thus, in the case of high temperature, graphite Heat insulation performance is very reliable.

　　Graphite plasticity and lubrication has been obtained in industry, larger scales, friction coefficient is small, so graphite flake is the most slippery, lubrication best, dense crystalline graphite times, earthy graphite lubricant is poor.

　　Graphite or atomic reactor excellent moderator, the use of graphite has entered a new historical stage, in order to manufacture excellent retarding agent, graphite purification process was further developed, so graphite has become important materials in atomic energy industry.

　　Because of its special structure, graphite has special properties

　　1) high temperature resistant: Graphite melting point of 3850 + 50 DEG C, the boiling point of 42.5 DEG C, even the ultra high temperature arc ignition, weight loss is very small, coefficient of thermal expansion is also very small. Graphite strength increases with temperature, and the intensity of graphite is increased by one time at 2000.

　　2) the conductivity of graphite is one hundred times higher than that of general non metallic mineral. Thermal conductivity over steel, iron, lead and other metal materials. The thermal conductivity decreases with the increase of temperature, even in high temperature, graphite as insulator.

　　3) the lubrication performance of graphite is determined by the size of graphite flake, the bigger the scale, the smaller the friction coefficient, the better the lubrication performance.

　　4) chemical stability: graphite has good chemical stability at room temperature, acid, alkali and corrosion resistance to organic solvents.

　　5) plasticity: the toughness of the graphite is good, can be a very thin slice.

　　6) thermal shock resistance: graphite can withstand the temperature of the severe changes in the temperature of the temperature change and not cause damage, when the temperature is changed, the volume of graphite is not big, will not produce cracks.

　　Graphite is one of six allotropes of carbon elements,it’s layered crystal structure.As the special crystal structure,graphite shows the unique physical and chemical properties,such like:silver gray,lubricity,electrical conductivity,corrosion resistance,oxidative stability etc.Graphite divided into two categories,natural graphite and synthetic/artificial graphite.

　　The natural graphite come from the graphite mineral,and there are two types of it, Amorphous graphite and crystal graphite(flake graphite).too much impurities in the graphite ore after mining,so it need to be beneficiation before using.the mainly use of natural graphite is produce refractory material,carbon brush,flexible graphite,lubricant,etc.it also be used for carburetant.

　　Among the carbon industry,the largest production of the graphite products is variety of synthetic/artificial graphite.it’s usually manufactured by petroleum coke or pitch coke,and finished after charge mixture, kneading,molding,baking, graphitization and machining,the production cycle need dozens of days.

　　Graphite have a lot of types.There are so many kinds of the artificial graphite: Single crystal graphite, multi crystal graphite, pyrolytic graphite and Highly oriented pyrolytic graphite,carbon fiber and so on.Most of the graphite products belong to the multi crystal graphite.

　　Graphite electrode is the mainly product of all the graphite products. It’s a high temperature resistance,corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity material.the artificial graphite is also widely used in other industry,such like the carbon brush used in the electrical machine,casting mould,EDM dies , wear parts and electrolytic cell in the chemical industry.High purity and high strength graphite material is also used in the nuclear industry and as the parts of rocket.

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