Optimization of pyrolysis process of porous carbon foam by orthogonal test design and evaluation of its mechanical property

The heating rate made a significant impact on the porous carbon foam (PCF) during the pyrolysis process. In this article, the pyrolysis process was divided into three stages. The orthogonal experimental design method involving three factors and three levels was carried out, and the porosity as well as the compressive stress of the as-prepared samples were tested. By orthogonal range, the orders of three factors to influence the performance, the significance levels of different factors, and the optimized pyrolysis parameters were determined. It was found that the PCF-VII possessed the lowest porosity of 91.08% with the highest compressive strength of 0.9 kPa at 10% strain when the porosity heating rates of the first stage, second stage, and third stage were 4 °C min^-1, 1 °C min^-1, and 4 °C min^-1, respectively. Besides, there is also an inverse relationship between the porosity and the compressive strength, which provided some suggestions on the performance characterization of the porous materials.