The present developments of electron energy analysis in the microscopes by E.E.L.S. allow an accurate recording of the spectra and of their different complex structures associated with the inner shell electron excitation by the incident electrons (1). Among these structures, the Extended Energy Loss Fine Structures (EXELFS) are of particular interest. They are equivalent to the well known EXAFS oscillations in X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Due to the EELS characteristic, the Fourier analysis of EXELFS oscillations appears as a promising technique for the characterization of composite materials, the major constituents of which are low Z elements. Using EXELFS, we have developed a microstructural study of carbon fibers. This analysis concerns the carbon K edge, which appears in the spectra at 285 eV. The purpose of the paper is to compare the local short range order, determined by this way in the case of Courtauld HTS and P100 ex-polyacrylonitrile carbon fibers, which are high tensile strength (HTS) and high modulus (HM) fibers respectively.
High Modulus Carbon Fibers from Pitch Materials