Collaboration between private firms and academic researchers in China has accelerated integration of scientific research and industrial innovation, addressing the country’s supply bottlenecks in the development of new materials of carbon fiber.

High-performance carbon fiber, also known as the "king of new materials," is a core material for advanced manufacturing and national defense.

In Langfang City of north China's Hebei Province, T-1100-grade carbon fiber is now in stable mass production. Daily testing shows a 95-percent pass rate.

The new material was developed in a lab at the Shenzhen University in south China's tech hub of Shenzhen City.

"This is the T-1100-grade carbon fiber we developed. Its tensile strength reaches 7,000 megapascals," said Zhu Caizhen, a professor from the College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, the Shenzhen University.

The filament is only five micrometers wide. Its density is one-quarter that of steel, but its strength is about seven times higher. With high strength and low weight, and resistance to heat, cold, corrosion, and wear, carbon fiber is widely used in defense, aerospace, railway, and the low-altitude economy.

To secure stable output, the Shenzhen University has worked closely with Changsheng Technology, a private company in Hebei Province.

Since 2023, their partnership has produced a new breakthrough every three to four months.

"Relying on oneself would take a much longer time. The university's research helps guide us and solve key technical problems," said Li Penghui, deputy director of the Research and Development Department, Changsheng Technology.

The team at the Shenzhen University ran repeated tests, examining hundreds of factors to reduce internal voids and increase fiber density. Lab results were soon scaled up and tested under real manufacturing conditions.

After more than 30 rounds of lab-to-factory iteration, the partners successfully cut the key performance-limiting defect and achieved mass production. It has reduced China's reliance on imports and contributed to strengthening the security of strategic materials for China.