12,000 filaments per tow, diameter of 7 microns, applications in aviation, wind power, sports and high-tech manufacturing – Sinopec’s breakthrough in Shanghai

As reported by CCTV+, China has successfully achieved a key technological breakthrough in the production of high-performance T1000 carbon fibre using a wet spinning process and has begun mass production in Shanghai, China’s state-owned petrochemical giant Sinopec announced on Tuesday.

The breakthrough, achieved by Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd. and Sinopec Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology Co., Ltd., will supply key materials for high-tech and future industries, including aerospace, intelligent technologies and the low-altitude economy.

High-performance carbon fibre is a 12K small-tow product, meaning each tow contains 12,000 individual filaments. The diameter of each filament is only about seven micrometres — roughly one-tenth the diameter of a human hair.

Du Yongqian, head of the carbon fibre plant at Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd., said: “We have achieved mass production of T1000 small-tow carbon fibre. Small-tow and large-tow carbon fibres now form a strategically complementary advantage. We currently have production capacity for nearly 20 models of carbon fibre products, which can fully cover various application scenarios such as aerospace, high-tech manufacturing, wind power, transport, sports and leisure.”

Carbon fibre has a density less than one-quarter that of steel, but its strength is seven to nine times higher than steel. It also has excellent properties such as corrosion resistance and fatigue resistance. It is an indispensable basic material supporting the development of high-tech manufacturing and strategic equipment.

China’s carbon fibre market is forecast to exceed 60 billion yuan (about 8.87 billion US dollars) by 2030.

Carbon fibre is a polymer material consisting of thin filaments 5–10 micrometres in diameter, composed mostly of carbon atoms. It has high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight and high chemical resistance.

China has learned to weave the wind. A thread ten times thinner than a human hair, but nine times stronger than steel. Lighter than aluminium, tougher than titanium. T1000 carbon fibre is not just a material. It is the key to new heights. Planes that will be lighter and more fuel-efficient. Wind turbine blades that won’t break in a storm. Sports equipment that breaks records. And all of this is now being produced in China – in large quantities, cheaply, with high quality. The question is not whether this fibre will find applications. It will. The question is which industries can do without it. The answer: none. Because the future belongs to lightweight, strong materials. And China already holds this thread in its hands.