Refined carbon material

Abstract

A method of efficiently removing active oxy-hydrogens (e.g., existing as hetero element-containing functional groups such as COOH, CHO, and OH) present in a carbon material at a relative low temperature. The invention also provides a carbon-activating material adapted for use in a polarizable electrode typically used in an electrical double-layer capacitor. The method of removing residual active oxy-hydrogens in the carbon material starts with mixing the carbon material and a transition metal or a transition metal compound. The resulting mixture is thermally processed within a stream of a reducing gas. Preferably, the transition metal or transition metal compound is removed from the thermally processed mixture.

1 . A refined carbon material having a carbon structure in which residual hydrogen atoms are present, said hydrogen atoms showing both a short relaxation time component T 2 =10 to 50 μsec (Gaussian type) and a moderate relaxation time component T 2 =55 to 400 μsec (Lorentzian type) when  1 H resonance is observed by pulsed NMR, said short and moderate relaxation time components indicating different bonding states of said residual hydrogen atoms, 
 wherein the ratio of the moderate relaxation time component to the short relaxation time component is less than one third.    
     
     
         2 . A refined carbon material having a carbon structure in which residual hydrogen atoms are present, said hydrogen atoms showing both a short relaxation time component T 2 =17 to 50 μsec (Gaussian type) and a moderate relaxation time component T 2 =55 to 400 μsec (Lorentzian type) when  1 H resonance is observed by pulsed NMR, said short and moderate relaxation time components indicating different bonding states of said residual hydrogen atoms, 
 wherein the ratio of the moderate relaxation time component to the short relaxation time component is less than one third.    
     
     
         3 . A refined carbon material as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said refined carbon material is used as a carbon-activating material for use in a polarizable electrode.  
     
     
         4 . A refined carbon material as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said refined carbon material is used as a carbon-activating material for use in a polarizable electrode.