South Korean business is going to produce CNT (Carbon Nanotube) fiber that is 100 times stronger than steel. As fiber products are produced followed by powder, range of CNT uses will be expanded.
According to industry on the 10th, Kumho Petrochemical has recently secured technologies to produce CNT fiber. This company’s central research institute is currently verifying CNT fiber’s performance and test-production with a goal of mass-producing it soon. At the earliest, it will be able to mass-produce it in next month. To produce and supply CNT fiber stably, it has also made partnership with South Korean fiber business.
Thickness of CNT fiber that is produced by Kumho Petrochemical is only 15 micrometer (µm). It is also possible to expand its thickness up to hundreds of micrometers. This is the first time when a huge South Korean corporation is producing CNT fiber.
CNT fiber can be divided into two things. There are ‘Neat CNT Fiber’ that synthesizes with CNT while spinning CNT continuously and ‘CNT Composite Fiber’ that synthesizes CNT with different substance. Kumho Petrochemical is going to produce CNT Composite Fiber out of the two and it will synthesize CNT with polymer fiber.
Range of uses of CNT fiber is very wide. While it is a material with high strength and low weight, it also has conductivity. Because its strength is 100 times higher than steel and has a thin string-like form, it can be used for aerospace material or for rescue-purposes. Because it can be bent like a string while taking on conductivity, it can be used as an electrode material for flexible devices.
“CNT fiber has been researched for long periods of time in universities and it is a material that is being rapidly commercialized in other countries.” said a representative for this industry. “Although South Korea’s industry is still in beginning stage since markets have not opened yet in South Korea, Kumho Petrochemical is the first one to produce CNT fiber.”
Until now, Kumho Petrochemical has been mass-producing powder-type CNT and applying it to plastic compounds. Although CNT fiber had been researched for many times by universities, it will be finally commercialized due to Kumho Petrochemical. Other countries are not only commercializing CNT Composite Fiber, but they are also rapidly commercializing Neat CNT Fiber also.
Although South Korea is one step behind, it is meaningful that a huge corporation has jumped into commercialization of CNT fiber. Because South Korea is known for its electronic fields, there is a high chance that CNT fiber will be used for flexible devices. CNT has 1,000 times higher electricity conductivity than copper. Although CNT fiber also has conductivity, a task is to lower its electric resistance that is higher than silver and copper. Kumho Petrochemical currently has CNT production factory in Asan that can produce 50 tons of CNT annually.
“Although we had also thought about Neat CNT Fiber, we are currently pushing for a plan that wil produce CNT fiber that is mixed with polymer.” said a representative for Kumho Petrochemical. “We are currently working on semi-mass-production with a South Korean fiber business.”
Staff Reporter Song, Junyoung | songjy@etnews.com