What are the properties of graphite and carbon fibers?
Both graphite and carbon fibers are rigid materials that are resistant to stretching and compression. They are also chemically inert or unreactive materials. This is critical because it means that carbon fibers don’t react with the outer part of a bicycle frame or a tennis racket and graphite pencil leads don’t react with paper. The inertness of carbon fibers makes them suitable for medical applications such as hip and knee ligament replacements. Graphite, a black, lustrous solid, is shown in Figure 3.5. Carbon fibers, tiny black strands, are shown in Figure 3.6.
