Carbon fibre, sometimes known as carbon fiber, is a lightweight, highly strong material that is popular in specialized, high-performance applications due to its exceptional properties. It is composed of thin strands of carbon that are tightly bound together in a microcrystalline graphite structure, which gives it its characteristic strength and rigidity while maintaining a very light weight.
The manufacturing of carbon fibre involves several steps:
Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) Production: The majority of carbon fibres are made from a precursor polymer known as polyacrylonitrile, which is an organic polymer with a molecular structure that easily forms sheets of linked carbon atoms.
Stabilization: The PAN is then oxidized at temperatures up to 300°C (572°F) in air, which crosslinks the polymer chains and stabilizes the fibre against melting or fusing during the subsequent carbonization process.
Carbonization: In this step, the stabilized fibres are heated to high temperatures, generally around 1000°C-3000°C (1832°F-5432°F) in an inert atmosphere (like argon or nitrogen), causing the non-carbon atoms to be expelled as gases. This process leaves a filament composed almost entirely of carbon.
: After carbonization, the fibres receive a surface treatment to improve their bonding characteristics, and a sizing or finish is applied, which can protect the fibre and help it adhere to composites.
