Sustainable carbon fibers for the energy transition

From raw materials to customized products

Lightweight construction is in high demand. After all, lightweight cars, airplanes and wind turbines can be moved more energy-efficiently. Carbon fibers offer an excellent opportunity for lightweight construction. Embedded in a polymer resin, they combine lightness with extremely high strength and rigidity as composite materials. However, the fibers are currently petroleum-based, CO₂-intensive and expensive.

And that's where we start: We are your competent partner in all matters relating to the material, technology and production development of sustainable carbon fibers. Our holistic approach covers the entire value chain for the production of carbon fibers: from raw material processing or polymer synthesis to fiber spinning, thermomechanical conversion into carbon fibers and further processing into carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP).

We offer you individual strategies and solutions to make your manufacturing and processing of carbon fibers more economical and ecological.

Bundled expertise under one roof

The production of sustainable carbon fibers is a specialty of the Fraunhofer IAP – from polymer synthesis to customized components. We also spin so-called precursor fibers (precursors) from natural raw materials such as cellulose and lignin. Our state-of-the-art oven technology converts various types of precursors into carbon under the influence of heat. The PYCO research division contributes expertise in the development of tailor-made and carbon fiber-reinforced composite materials for a wide range of lightweight construction applications.

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Polymer synthesis

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) – a petroleum-based polymer – is the most important precursor material for carbon fibers. However, the manufacturing process has disadvantages. The precursor fibers are mainly produced by wet spinning PAN copolymers. This process is cost-intensive and requires the use of environmentally harmful solvents. PAN cannot be used for more cost-effective melt spinning due to its poor meltability.
With our ComCarbon® technology, we have developed tailor-made PAN copolymers that are meltable and can be processed into carbon fibers. Their excellent thermal stability enables the conventional melt spinning of several filaments. We are also testing the ComCarbon® technology using bio-based PAN.

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Spinning process

On the way to carbon fibers, which consist almost exclusively of carbon, a detour via a malleable precursor is necessary. After all, pure carbon is neither soluble nor meltable and cannot be converted directly into fiber form.
We also develop and spin precursors based on renewable raw materials such as cellulose, lignin or hemicellulose. The equipment at the Fraunhofer IAP - including viscose production and wet spinning lines - enables, for example, the development of viscose filaments based on cellulose and cellulose blends.

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Carbonization

Regardless of the geometry – from fibers, films, membranes, nonwovens to molded parts – our oven technology converts a wide variety of precursor systems into carbon materials. We provide any temperature programs up to 3000 °C and different atmospheres, which both decisively influence the performance.

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From raw materials to customized products