Carbon fibers from getting closer to our daily lives, only the hair 1 / / 10, its density is less than a quarter of that of steel fiber diameter, but the tensile strength is 7-9 times that of steel, the tensile elasticity higher than steel, carbon fiber is lighter than aluminum, harder than steel. Because light, the quality of the carbon fiber composite material is approximately 20% of steel, according to the fiber levels and direction, even up to the strength of similar steel. In addition, carbon fibers do not rust, the use of carbon fiber materials can significantly reduce the weight of the product, which can significantly improve the fuel efficiency, with the production of aircraft, automobiles, can save a lot of fuel.

Because carbon fiber with high strength, high modulus, high temperature, corrosion resistance, electrical and thermal conductivity and other properties, thus making it a carbon material both strong and soft fiber tensile workability characteristics of two new chemical materials, is a new generation of reinforcing fibers. Currently, the carbon fiber is not only widely used in aerospace, military, industrial, and automotive components, wind turbine blades, nuclear, oil drilling, sporting goods, carbon fiber composite core cables and field construction reinforcement materials are also huge application space.

The plight of one: the production technology is far behind the developed countries

Because carbon fiber applications related to national defense and military industry, therefore, carbon fiber technology and production equipment nations are strictly confidential. Japan, the United States and other major production companies for a long time not only for the preparation of high-performance specialty raw silk technology is highly confidential, refused to transfer, nor the sale of high-performance specialty raw silk products, but also the possibility of introducing a small set of technologies.

According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Coal Chemistry researcher HE Fu, China's T300 universal level of industrialization has made ​​a breakthrough, 100 tons and tons of grade carbon fiber has been put into production; T700 grade ongoing pilot scale, T800-class laboratory research is being . Currently there are one or two units of product quality has surpassed the performance of T300-level indicators, reached the T400 grade level, and can be as small batch production. This is the level of the last century, Japan's Toray carbon fiber research and development in the 1980s. From the overall situation, our country is currently in a transition period from the high-performance general-level T300 T700 and T800 development.

However, due to different application areas, the quality requirements of carbon fiber and composite materials are also different. In other words, only the general level T300 is far from being able to meet the market demand. Therefore, HE Fu believes is necessary to develop high performance T700, T800 and T1000 grade carbon fiber. For example, he said, a large aircraft manufacturing construction materials needed T800H level and its composites P2302 (T800H / 3902-2); manufacture carbon fiber composite core aluminum twisted pair cable (ACCC) also need T700S level. Therefore, the development of high-performance carbon fibers is imperative. Future leading products should be T700 and T800 grade, and will gradually replace the T300 T700 grade level, a new generation of universal grade carbon fiber.

Dilemma two: the number of small-scale research and development and more repeat

Our research started on the carbon fiber is not late, although there has been some progress, but over the years developed more slowly. According to the Shanghai Information Technology companies autumn engine governor studio founder Energy and Chemical Engineering Qian Bo Zhang introduced in China since the 1960s, the application by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry was the first to study the PAN-based carbon fiber, in the early 1970s in continuous complete pilot plant. Subsequently Shanghai Synthetic Fiber Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Coal Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Shandong industrial university, also began to study the work and in the mid-1980s by the pilot into pre-production stage of industrialization, has built a few from the annual one hundred kilograms to several tons of small pilot plant and dozens of tons of annual production pilot plant. Overall, however, whether it is technology, production capacity and product quality so with foreign advanced level there is a large gap.

In the 21st century, the rapid development of domestic carbon fiber industry,
Since 2000, China's carbon fiber technology diversification to abandon the original raw silk manufacturing technology nitric acid method, using dimethyl sulfoxide as solvent-step wet spinning technique to be successful. Currently using technology developed by a small number of self-made ​​carbon fiber products have reached the international level.

In recent years, the relevant state ministries have the industrialization process of carbon fiber technology as a strategic task of China. Subsequently, a number of companies have joined the ranks of carbon fiber production.

In contrast, global, because the carbon fiber production process is complex, since the size of the business world is not more than 12. They were Japan's Toray, Toho and Mitsubishi Rayon, America's Cytec Industries Inc. (Cytec), heck Sale (Hexcel) company, Zoltek (Zoltek) company, Amoco (Amoco), Germany the SGL, South Korea and Thailand as well as light industry companies China Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Corporation. Where the leading Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Rayon, Toray and Toho and the United States Cytec, Hexcel Corporation.

In 2008, China started and implementation of large aircraft major projects supporting the overall project, including carbon fiber, including many new chemical materials projects, with the increase in the special as the representative of the country in various fields in demand for products of carbon fiber, a lot of carbon fiber research projects or kiloton industrialization projects have been started. However, due to the lack of carbon fiber industry with core industrialization technology with independent intellectual property rights, industrial development will not happen overnight, but the opportunity for development is up.

According to reports, from technology development to industrial transformation more difficult, so the carbon fiber to realize localization also requires a lengthy process. Due to market shortages in recent years, there has been domestic "carbon fiber heat." It should be pointed out that although the current domestic market for carbon fiber products in greater demand, but there is a big risk of blind development, these projects kiloton years after the implementation of market surplus will become inevitable.

According to the relevant department predicted that world demand for carbon fiber will be approximately 13% per year rate of rapid growth, in 2010, global demand for PAN-based carbon fibers will reach 50,000 tons, to reach 60,000 tons in 2012, demand is expected to 2018 will reach 100,000 tons.

Break through the road one: clenched fist to create synergy

How in the supply exceeds the demand outlook, the pace quickly upgrade to upgrade China's carbon fiber industry? Qian Bo Zhang believes that domestic constraints carbon fiber development of many reasons, PAN precursor levels behind restricting carbon fiber production levels to improve the bottleneck, not only affects the quality of the carbon fiber, and the impact of its production, production costs and market competitiveness.

At present, China needs to master the performance of PAN-based raw silk production technology, seize market opportunities. Under the carbon fiber production technology to improve the premise, as soon as a breakthrough in the PAN-based raw silk manufacturing process technology, the development of high-quality upstream product line, to ensure stability of carbon fiber production, product quality, resulting in the blockade of key technologies to break the foreign monopoly.

To learn from the advanced experience of foreign countries, to strengthen research in close connection with the establishment of mechanisms to increase in high-performance fiber industry to the national strategic height, so that our carbon fiber industry to rapid and healthy development.

Breakthrough Way two: focus on recycling

In recent years, research and development of carbon fiber technology abroad to focus on improving performance and reducing costs. Toray's advanced composite material according to the needs of market development, has decided to phase out carbon fiber T300 class, focusing on the development of the tensile strength of 4000 ~ 5000MPa, roughly equal price and T300 carbon fiber varieties, while large tow carbon fiber due to the high cost, also began to develop large-tow carbon fiber, such as the newly developed T6005, T7005, T700G and so on.

In addition, some companies in research and development and environmentally friendly recycling of carbon fiber. Toray, Teijin and Mitsubishi Rayon plans to join forces mass production cycle of carbon fiber, to promote recycling of high-strength lightweight materials.

Carbon fiber products are used for specific areas, and updating its life cycle requirements are strict, a lot of waste carbon fiber products urgent treatment. According to Japan's Mitsubishi Rayon is estimated that global carbon fiber waste is about 10,000 tons, up 20,000 tons in 2010. With the extensive use of carbon fiber production capacity expansion and reinforcing materials, environmentally friendly trend requires enterprises to pay attention recycled carbon fiber. Developed countries have begun this work: Germany TITK Institute for the development of new technology, do not use tear-cut deal will be able to get the length of ≥20mm from waste carbon fiber textiles in general, the length of 30mm ~ 70mm carbon fiber; Spain INASMET transportation safety organizations to adopt chemical and pyrolytic carbon fiber processing technology development - epoxy composites new ways to recycle and reuse, recycle their products can be used for general carbon fiber products.

Japan's Toray, Teijin and Mitsubishi Rayon Company established a joint venture in 2009, recovery and recycling of used carbon fiber from aircraft and other equipment. The annual cycle of carbon fiber will begin in a few hundred tons to the world's largest production of 1000 tons.

At present, the recycling of carbon fiber in terms of whether it should learn from foreign advanced ideas, included in the scope of R & D? After standing on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see farther and higher.