Fibralspec Project

Fuctionalised Innovative Carbon Fibres Developed from Novel Precursors With Cost Efficiency and Tailored Properties.

Engineers are constantly pushing the boundaries, aiming to design composites structures by carbon fibers (CFs) with reduced cost, as well as, with improved mechanical properties. After more than 5 decades of research, a growing industry with a multitude of applications has been established and the need on new precursors that not derive from petroleum has been revealed. This requires a novel approach that introduces the significant challenge of production of CFs from “green” precursors and manufacturing of fibre-reinforced composites via ecofriendly-production techniques. FIBRALSPEC developed Innovative processes with streamlining and improved control, through Unit for Continuous PAN-based Carbon Fiber Pilot Production.

Green precursors of CFs based on lignin based blends have been synthesized since lignin has attracted significant attention as an alternative carbon source for conversion to CFs due to material’s abundance, high carbon content, low cost as byproduct of paper industry and renewable nature. The quality of polymer fibers spun by lignin depends on the spinning method and chemical modification of raw material. However, the improvement of lignin fiber spinning technologies has now reached a limit and new approaches are necessary to be developed based on chemical modification and functionalization. FIBRALSPEC also investigated the enhancement of mechanical performance of CFs composites by changing their structure, physical and chemical properties for enhancing of their service characteristics and opening of new functional possibilities of their applications. Different types of plasma processes were implemented for the surface treatment of carbon fibres, in order to analyse their advantages and disadvantages.

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