Carbon fiber precursors and production process
AssigneeThe Penn State Research Foundation
InventorsTze-Chiang Chung, Houxiang Li
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Abstract
A new class of cost-effective carbon fiber precursors that comprise both hydrocarbon polymer and Pitch structural features in the same polymer structure to exhibit complementary advantages of both PAN- and Pitch-based carbon fiber precursors. The new class of carbon fiber precursors comprise a polymeric pitch copolymer, wherein the polymeric pitch copolymer includes a polymer chain and several pitch polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules grafted or chemically bonded to the polymer chain. Method and processes for the creation of the new class of carbon fiber precursors are also presented, wherein said methods may comprise a thermally-induced coupling and extrusion step.
Claims23
A carbon fiber precursor material comprising a polymeric pitch copolymer, wherein the polymeric pitch copolymer comprises a polymer chain and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules in the side chains.
A method for the synthesis of a carbon fiber precursor material comprising:
- adding pitch resin to a polymer chain to form a mixture;
- stirring the mixture under elevated temperature conditions until the formation of a polymeric pitch copolymer is complete,
- wherein the polymer chain possesses reactive groups capable of grafting with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules in pitch resin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.