en.Wedoany.com Reported - Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd., in collaboration with the Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology, has successfully overcome key technical challenges in wet-process T1000-grade high-performance carbon fiber and achieved mass production. This material can be used in high-end fields and future industries such as aerospace, embodied intelligence, and the low-altitude economy, providing core strategic material support for the development of related critical sectors.
Carbon fiber, known for its superior performance, is often called the "king of new materials" or "black gold." Its density is less than one-quarter that of steel, yet its strength is 7 to 9 times greater, and it is also corrosion-resistant. Carbon fiber is classified into large-tow and small-tow types based on tow specifications. In the industry, K is commonly used to denote tow size (1K equals 1,000 filaments). Fibers with 24K or fewer filaments are classified as small-tow carbon fiber, which features finer tows, more uniform performance, and higher precision, making it suitable for high-performance applications such as aerospace and high-end equipment. Fibers with 48K or more filaments are classified as large-tow carbon fiber, offering higher single-line production capacity and lower cost, serving as core materials for large-scale industrial applications such as wind power and energy storage. T represents the tensile strength grade, with higher values indicating greater strength.
The high-performance carbon fiber developed and mass-produced by Shanghai Petrochemical this time is 12K small-tow, meaning each tow consists of 12,000 filaments. The diameter of a single filament is equivalent to one-tenth the diameter of a human hair. The tensile strength of a single tow exceeds 6.5 GPa, and the tensile modulus exceeds 300 GPa, equivalent to the force required to pull a medium-sized truck weighing about 10 tons.
This technological breakthrough further enriches and improves Sinopec's carbon fiber product portfolio. Currently, Sinopec has the production capacity for nearly 20 models of carbon fiber products in different tow sizes, including 3K, 6K, 12K, 24K, 48K, and 60K, with performance covering both general-purpose and high-performance grades. These products can be used in various scenarios such as aerospace, high-end manufacturing, wind power, transportation, and sports and leisure. As of the end of 2025, Sinopec has filed 868 patent applications in the field of carbon fiber and its composite materials, ranking first in China and third globally in the number of patent applications. It has obtained 417 authorized patents and completed 4 PCT applications.
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