AbstractIn this work, Lyocell fibers filled with various amounts of carbon black were prepared. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) results showed that carbon black filled Lyocell fibers still had a cellulose II crystal structure and kept the characteristic peak of carbon black at the same time. The results of mechanical properties showed a slight reduction in the carbon black filled Lyocell fiber. Moreover, the heat stabilities of the carbon black filled Lyocell fibers showed no obvious change. The residue of carbon black filled Lyocell fiber at 1000°C was higher than that of Lyocell fiber, implying higher carbon yield could be obtained for the carbon black filled Lyocell precursor. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) experiments showed that the surface and the cross section of carbon black filled Lyocell fiber were smooth and round, which are consistent with the carbon fiber precursor. The WAXD pattern of carbon black filled Lyocell‐based carbon fiber was different from that of Lyocell‐based carbon fiber. The addition of carbon black transfers the diffraction peak of carbon fiber while keeping the characteristic structure of carbon black. The results of mechanical properties of carbon fibers show that, if an appropriate amount of carbon black was chosen, carbon fiber with better properties than Lyocell‐based carbon fiber could be obtained by using the carbon black filled Lyocell fibers as the precursor. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 65–74, 2006