Breakthrough in High-Performance Carbon Fiber: Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering Achieves Milestones
The Carbon Fiber and Composite Materials Team at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has recently marked a significant advancement in the domain of high-performance carbon fiber. Their innovative development of the M55X grade carbon fiber, known for its high strength, modulus, and elongation, has seen further enhancements in mechanical properties. According to tests conducted by professional domestic institutions, this carbon fiber boasts a tensile strength of 5.18 GPa, a tensile modulus of 544 GPa, and elongation at break of 0.95%. These figures position the M55X grade favorably against Toray Industries' recently developed M46X grade carbon fiber, which registers a tensile strength of 5.0 GPa and a tensile modulus of 437 GPa.
In January 2016, the NIMTE team achieved a domestic first by mastering the key production techniques for the M55J grade high-strength, high-modulus carbon fiber. After a series of technological validations, scale-up for stable production, and prepreg process evaluations, the team established their proprietary CNIQM55 (M55J grade) carbon fiber product. This carbon fiber matches foreign counterparts in tensile modulus while exceeding them in tensile strength, reaching 4.30 GPa compared to the international average of 4.02 GPa. The CNIQM55 carbon fiber has been successfully implemented in near-space drones.
Contrasting with traditional M55J grade carbon fibers, which are known for their high modulus but are brittle due to lower strength and elongation, the M55X grade represents a significant improvement. Building upon the CNIQM55, the NIMTE team has optimized the microstructure and macroscopic performance of the fiber. The M55X grade carbon fiber maintains a tensile modulus of 540 GPa while surpassing a tensile strength of 5.0 GPa for the first time, marking an increase of nearly 1 GPa over the Japanese Toray M55J carbon fiber. This enhancement is expected to improve the fiber's ductility and processability.
As of now, the NIMTE Carbon Fiber Team has developed key manufacturing technologies for a variety of carbon fibers, including the M30X, M40X, M50X, and M55X grades. Their products have been tested and approved by professional domestic institutions. In a patent application filed in July 2023, the team has demonstrated the capability to produce an unnamed ultra-high modulus carbon fiber with a tensile strength of 4.0 GPa and a remarkable tensile modulus of 640 GPa.
