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Carbon Fiber Production

• Carbon fiber is currently produced in relatively limited quantities mostly via two manufacturing processes:
  A. Based on pitch (coal tar and petroleum products)
  B. Based on Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)
• Current global capacity for pitch-based carbon fiber is estimated at about 3,500 metric tons per year.
• Global use for PAN-based carbon fiber is increasing rapidly, and total production capacity currently does not meet the demand.
• PAN-based carbon fiber is more expensive to produce, hence, limiting its use to high end applications, (used primarily by aerospace and sporting equipment industries)

Carbon Fiber Properties

• Pitch and PAN carbon fibers have properties that suit different applications.
• The most common carbon-fiber type is PAN, primarily for structural reinforcement because of its high tensile strength.
• Mesophase pitch fibers, on the other hand, offer designers a different profile. They are easily customized to meet specific applications. They often have a higher modulus, or stiffness than conventional PAN fibers, are intrinsically more pure electrochemically, and have higher ionic intercalation.
• Mesophase Pitch fibers also possess higher thermal and electrical conductivity, and different friction properties.
  

Carbon Fiber Applications

Global demand for high-strength, light-weight and durable fiber is growing; typical applications in:

• Portable power
• Rechargeable batteries and fuel cell electrodes
• Fiber reinforced plastics, FRP
• Energy production; windmill blades
• Building and construction materials: concrete and asphalt reinforcements, soil erosion barriers
• Electronics, composite materials for automotives & general transportation,
• Specialty and niche markets.

Carbon Fiber Markets