This paper reviews recent developments in carbon fibers. Intensive studies focus on relationships among processing conditions, chemical/physical structures and tensile properties of polyacrylonitrile and meso-phase pitch based carbon fibers. Carbon fibers with specific geometry, such as hollow, porous, and patterned, have been fabricated for specific applications. Additionally, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which have excellent mechanical properties, have been processed into macroscopic continuous fibers. Incorporating CNTs in precursor fiber also improves tensile strength and modulus of the resultant carbon fiber. Although extensive studies have been conducted for improving carbon fiber tensile strength and modulus as well as for reducing their production cost, these issues remain amongst the main challenges for broadening their applications.

Recent Progress in Fabrication, Structure, and Properties of Carbon Fibers

Due to their lightweight and excellent toughness, carbon fiber (CF) and its reinforced thermoplastic composites are suitable for high-performance applications such as aerospace, aviation, automotive and sport equipments. In this study, comprehensive detail is provided on the production of carbon fiber, its various forms and geometry and their corresponding effects on the mechanical properties of CF and its reinforced polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) composites. Here we discuss extensively various methods reported in literature on improving the interfacial fiber-matrix adhesion and dispersion in order to achieve better mechanical properties for such composites.

Progress in Carbon Fiber and Its Polypropylene- and Polyethylene-Based Composites

Middle-modulus high-strength polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber, and preparation method thereof

High strength polyacrylonitrile-base carbon fibers having structured surface grooves, and preparation method thereof

The invention relates to a production method of a carbon fiber. The production method comprises the following steps of: preparing a spinning solution; carrying out wet spinning; solidifying; previously oxidizing primary polyacrylonitrile resin fibers; carrying out low-temperature carbonization; carrying out high-temperature carbonization, and the like. The production method disclosed by the invention can be used for enhancing the regularity of a fiber molecular chain by mixing high-regularity polyacrylonitrile resin and common polyacrylonitrile resin, thereby enhancing the fiber crystallinity, enhancing the fiber compact degree, increasing the carbon network length of the final fiber molecular chain and enhancing the fiber strength. Compared with the carbon fiber in the prior art, the carbon fiber obtained by adopting the production method has the advantage that the tensile strength and the carbonization yield are respectively improved by more than 19.7% and 26.0%.

Production method of carbon fiber

The invention relates to a polyacrylonitrile-based hollow carbon fiber precursor and a preparation method thereof. The polyacrylonitrile-based hollow carbon fiber precursor of the invention can be used for preparing polyacrylonitrile-based hollow carbon fibers. An acrylonitrile binary copolymerization system containing itaconic acid or an acrylonitrile ternary polymerization system containing itaconic acid and methyl acrylate is adopted for spinning by a wet spinning process matched with a circular arc slit spinneret plate, and multiple filament bundles of the hollow carbon fiber precursor can be obtained, wherein the dimension of the outer diameter and the structure of the precursor meet the requirement of a conventional preoxidation carburizing process for precursor fibers, and the groove structure on the surface of the fiber is favorable for improving the interface performance of composite materials.

Polyacrylonitrile-based hollow carbon fiber precursor preparation method

Preparation method of polyacrylonitrile pre-oxidation fiber and carbon fiber

The invention relates to an acrylonitrile polymer composite prepared through polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers, carbon fiber precursors and carbon fibers prepared through the polymer composites, as well as the preparation methods for the carbon fiber precursors and carbon fibers. In particular, the polymer composite of the invention comprises a acrylonitrile-containing composite and an alkaline compound, the carbon fiber precursors and carbon fibers prepared through the polymer composite, and the preparation methods. With the methods of the invention, precursor fibers with high density and regular surface groove structures can be obtained without increasing the spinning draw-down ratio, or even under the condition of reducing the draw-down ratio appropriately; the volume density of precursor fibers can reach 1.19g/cm3 or more; through preoxidized carbonization, the precursor fibers can obtain high-performance carbon fibers with volume density exceeding 1.78g/cm3, the tensile strength surpassing 4.9GPa, and the tensile modulus greater than 230GPa.

Zhao Zhenwen

Papers

Middle-modulus high-strength polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber, and preparation method thereof

Polyacrylonitrile-based hollow carbon fiber precursor preparation method

High strength polyacrylonitrile-base carbon fibers having structured surface grooves, and preparation method thereof

Preparation method of polyacrylonitrile pre-oxidation fiber and carbon fiber

Acrylic nitrile-containing polymerization composition for carbon fibre and preparation thereof