A T1000 carbon fiber production line was launched in Datong, Shanxi province, marking a breakthrough in the mass production of high-performance carbon fiber, often called the “king of new materials”. The 200-metric-ton-per-year demonstration line of 12K small-tow T1000 carbon fiber began construction in June 2024. It represents the first phase of a high-performance carbon fiber project led by Shanxi Huayang Carbon Material Technology, a corporation jointly established by Huayang New Material Technology Group, the Datong city government and the Institute of Coal Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). “The project breaks foreign technological monopolies and ensures the security and resilience of the national supply chain for critical materials,” said Fang Yitian, Director of the Institute.
High-performance carbon fiber plays a vital role in high-tech development, cutting-edge defense technologies and the upgrading of traditional industries worldwide. It is also used in wind turbine blades and sports equipment. The T1000 carbon fiber has a single filament diameter of only 6 to 7 micrometers – less than one-tenth the width of a human hair – but with a tensile strength exceeding 6,400 MPa. Its density is only one-quarter that of steel, yet it is more than five times as strong. A one-meter-long strand weighs just 0.5 grams but can carry a load of 200 kilograms. It is resistant to high temperatures and corrosion, remains chemically inert in acidic and alkaline environments, and has excellent thermal and electrical conductivity. “China’s high-end carbon fiber has achieved comprehensive domestic supply security, and we have also attained self-reliance in carbon fiber technological innovation,” said Lyu Chunxiang, the project’s academic head and a researcher at the institute. Lyu and his team cracked the challenge of aerospace-grade T300 carbon fiber production in 2008, making China the third country after Japan and the United States capable of producing the material. “During the Beijing Winter Olympics, the bobsleds and helmets used by Chinese athletes were made from the T800 carbon fiber material we developed,” Lyu said.
The road was not smooth, he added, recalling that “back in 2003, carbon fiber technology and the market were monopolized by foreign companies”. “Today, Shanxi has become a carbon fiber supply base that is usable, reliable and indispensable for high-end applications in China,” he said. The completion of the project is “not only a milestone but also a new breakthrough in high-quality development”, said Datong Mayor Liu Junyi. “It will drive accelerated growth of related industries in Datong, such as high-end equipment manufacturing and new energy storage, and attract more upstream and downstream enterprises” Liu said, as reported by the China Daily.
