As the pioneer of domestic large-tow carbon fiber technology, Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited (SPCC) has officially launched a full range of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) oxidized fibers at industry exhibitions, further improving its independent innovation layout in the domestic high-performance carbon fiber industry chain.
PAN oxidized fiber is a high-performance flame-retardant fiber with a heat-resistant trapezoidal structure formed by oxidation treatment of conventional PAN fiber. Serving as a core precursor material, it can be further processed into high-quality carbon fiber through low-temperature carbonization, high-temperature carbonization and electrochemical treatment processes.
In addition to carbon fiber preparation, PAN oxidized fiber can be directly applied as textile raw materials in the forms of filament, chopped fiber and fiber floc, or manufactured into various preforms. Featuring intrinsic flame retardancy, excellent spinnability, high temperature resistance, acid and alkali resistance and cost-effectiveness, the material is widely used in flame-retardant fabrics, high-temperature filter materials, activated carbon fiber and other industrial fields.
Globally, the production technology of high-quality PAN oxidized fiber has long been monopolized by overseas enterprises, including ZOLTEK of the United States, Toho of Japan, and SGL of Germany. Both Toho and Toray-acquired ZOLTEK participated in the exhibition and displayed their mature PAN oxidized fiber products, representing the world’s advanced industrial level in this field.
Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical has launched standardized PAN oxidized fiber products with multiple specifications, including 1.43dtex (1.3D), 2.2dtex (2.0D) and 2.42dtex (2.2D). According to on-site technical introduction, the product supports flexible customized adjustment: the linear density ranges from 1.2dtex to 2.42dtex, and the limiting oxygen index (LOI) can be precisely adjusted between 38% and 55% based on customer demands. The company provides flexible small-batch customized production and stable supply services to meet diversified application needs of downstream industries.
Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical is a highly integrated modern petrochemical enterprise covering oil refining, chemical processing, plastics and chemical fiber production, with an annual crude oil comprehensive processing capacity of 16 million tons. To deepen the layout of new carbon fiber materials, the company established the Acrylic Fiber Research Institute in 2005, officially stepping into the field of carbon fiber and composite materials. The institute is accredited as theSinopec Key Laboratory of Carbon Fiber and Composite Materials.
The research team has undertaken and completed multiple national key research projects including China’s National 863 Program and 973 Program, as well as numerous major Sinopec scientific research projects. Many technological achievements have won the First Prize of Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award. Up to now, SPCC has independently developed complete sets of technologies for carbon fiber precursor and carbon fiber production with independent intellectual property rights, owning 331 authorized patents including 143 valid patents.
In 2018, Shanghai Petrochemical achieved a landmark technological breakthrough in domestic carbon fiber industry, successfully completing the industrial test of 48K large-tow carbon fiber with performance reaching international advanced standards. The self-developed 48K large-tow carbon fiber won the First Prize for Excellent Exhibited New Material Products at the 20th China International Industry Fair. Its innovative application and integrated technology of carbon fiber for Winter Olympic torches was awarded the Grand Prize at the 23rd China International Industry Fair.
As early as 2012, the company completed the construction of a 1,500 tons/year carbon fiber precursor plant and a 500 tons/year carbon fiber production unit. A supporting carbon fiber and composite material processing and application center was built to carry out in-depth research on composite material processing and downstream application scenarios.
Shanghai Petrochemical has built a complete innovative industrial chain covering carbon fiber precursor, PAN oxidized fiber, carbon fiber and composite materials. The company has passed the authoritative AS9100D aerospace quality management system certification and obtained the pre-certification of Carbon Fiber Process Control Document (PCD) issued by COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China). It lays a solid foundation for the large-scale application of domestic independent carbon fiber products in aerospace, high-end equipment and other core fields.
