The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) is reportedly developing a new range of carbon fiber precursor materials.
The organization says that using its reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization technology can produce better quality (polyacrylonitrile) PAN polymer, which is used to make PAN (white) fiber, and ultimately carbon (black) fiber.
According to CSIRO, the production of PAN fiber from acrylonitrile raw material can account for about 50% of carbon fiber production cost and determines about 80% of the final properties. Using its technology can help produce PAN with properties that can make carbon fiber with higher strength and modulus, as well as a compact microstructure.
This story uses material from CSIRO, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
