Carbon Fibre Precursor Materials
topic
Precursors: PAN (polyacrylonitrile, 95% of production—highest strength, $15-30/kg precursor), pitch (petroleum or coal tar pitch, 5%—lower cost $8-12/kg, higher thermal conductivity, anisotropic properties), rayon (<1%, historical—lower performance, declining), and emerging precursors (lignin from biomass for low-cost carbon fibres targeting automotive, textile waste PET). PAN dominance due to superior mechanical properties and processing maturity.
Role
Precursor selection and quality (molecular weight, comonomer content, impurities) fundamentally determine carbon fibre properties and cost, with low-cost precursor development critical for mass-market automotive adoption.
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