As a key form of carbon fiber products, the development process of short cut carbon fiber is closely intertwined with the overall evolution of carbon fiber technology. The following is an analysis of the core stages based on technological breakthroughs and application expansion:

1、 Origin and Early Exploration (1860s-1950s)

The Enlightenment of the Filament Age (1860-1910)

In 1860, British scientist Joseph Swan first used carbonized paper strips to make incandescent lamp filaments, opening up the prototype of carbon fiber; In 1879, Edison improved the process and commercialized incandescent lamps using carbonized cotton yarn. However, early carbon fiber had low strength and was fragile, and was replaced by tungsten wire after 1910.

Technical dormancy period (1910-1950)

Although the lightweight and high-temperature resistance properties of carbon fiber are recognized, it has not achieved substantial breakthroughs for 40 years due to immature processes and insufficient performance.

2、 Breakthroughs in Modern Industrialization (1950s-1970s)

The birth of adhesive based carbon fiber (1958)

Roger Bacon from Union Carbide unexpectedly heated artificial silk in argon gas to produce high-performance carbon fiber, named "Thornel-25", which for the first time meets the requirements of high-temperature scenarios such as rocket nozzles.

PAN based Revolution (1959)

Japanese scientist Akio Kondo developed PAN based carbon fiber technology, which increased the strength by four times compared to adhesive based fibers, laying the foundation for industrial production.

Japan US Cooperation and High Performance (1970s)

Japan's Toray Corporation and the United States' Union Carbide have launched T300 carbon fiber (with a strength of 3.0GPa), promoting the transition of carbon fiber from the laboratory to the aerospace industry. Short cutting technology has also been used for composite prepreg.

3、 The Struggle and Rise of Chinese Carbon Fiber (1960s-present)

Difficult Start (1960s-1990s)

In 1962, Changchun Institute of Chemical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences launched research on PAN based carbon fibers; In 1975, the national "7511 Conference" organized nationwide research and development, but due to Western technological blockades (such as the refusal of the United States to sell carbonization equipment in 1984), industrialization repeatedly suffered setbacks.

Policy Driven and Breakthrough (2001-2020)

In 2001, Academician Shi Changxu proposed to promote the inclusion of carbon fiber in the national special project; In 2003, the Ministry of Science and Technology established a special fund, and Jilin Petrochemical and Shanxi Coal Chemical Institute broke through DMSO precursor technology and achieved T700 level localization.

Industrialization of Short Cut Carbon Fiber (2020s)

In 2022, Sinopec will put into operation 48K large fiber bundle carbon fiber wire with a capacity of 10000 tons, reducing the cost to 70% of the international level. The large-scale production of short cut fibers will support the surge in demand for new energy vehicles and wind turbine blades.

4、 Contemporary technological innovation and application expansion

Short cutting process upgrade

From simple mechanical enhancement to multifunctional composite: for example, Blue Ocean Blackstone has developed short cut carbon fiber/metal compound negative electrodes to enhance the capacity of sodium batteries; Guizhou Zhidang Technology optimizes the short cutting process, reducing the molding time of composite materials by 83%.

Green manufacturing trend

Domestic enterprises are promoting the technology of regenerated short cut carbon fiber, with a recycling rate of 90%, reducing environmental burden.

Emerging scene penetration

Short cut carbon fiber is applied in cutting-edge fields such as humanoid robot joints (single unit usage 6-10kg) and space elevator cable test specimens.

The development history of short cut carbon fiber is a transformation from "filament bead" to "strategic material". China has gradually broken through the monopoly of Japan and the United States through dual breakthroughs in policies and technology, and is leading new trends in the composite design and green manufacturing of short cut fibers.