Development of "Innovative Carbon Fibers Manufacturing Process" to meet the large demand for Carbon Fibers
The current Carbon Fibers manufacturing method making acrylic fibers flame resistant in high-temperature air will be renewed, and the basic technology of the "innovative Carbon Fibers manufacturing process" that is energy-sing and highly productive will be established.
The key is the new precursor polymer fibers that does not require flame resistance and the carbonization technology using microwe energy. By realizing these technologies, we aim to industrialize a manufacturing process that is 10 times more productive and halves CO2 emissions.
[Research results so far]
・Development of new Carbon Fibers precursor compounds
We succeeded in synthesizing a solvent-soluble flame-resistant polymer for the first time in the world, and established the basic technology of 6K filament for spinning.
Regarding the physical properties of Carbon Fibers, an elastic modulus of 240 GPa and an elongation of 1. 5% were achieved with a single yarn diameter of 5 μm.
・Development of carbonization process technology using microwes
High-speed carbonization in seconds, which is a characteristic of direct heating by microwes, has also been realized in large fineness (large tow) precursor fibers. In order to obtain stable Quality Carbon Fibers with large tow (48K), we are elucidating the correlation between the formation process of Carbon Fibers order accompanying carbonization and mechanical properties. So far, we he found a new method for quantitatively and precisely evaluating differences in microwe irradiation conditions, Fibers heating mechanisms, and structural changes, and he developed basic technologies for achieving stable carbonization.