Process converts polyethylene into carbon fibre

Common material such as polyethylene used in plastic bags could be turned into something far more valuable through a process being developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
 

Carbon fibers having unique surface geometries, from circular to hollow gear-shaped, are produced from polyethylene using a versatile fabrication method. The resulting carbon fiber exhibits properties that are dependent on processing conditions, rendering them highly amenable to myriad applications.

In a paper published in Advanced Materials, a team led by Amit Naskar of the Materials Science and Technology Division outlined a method that allows not only for production of carbon fibrebut also the ability to tailor the final product to specific applications.
 
"Our results represent what we believe will one day provide industry with a flexible technique for producing technologically innovative fibres in myriad configurations such as fibre bundle or non-woven mat assemblies," Naskar said.
 
Using a combination of multi-component fibre spinning and their sulfonation technique, Naskar and colleagues demonstrated that they can make polyethylene-base fibres with a customised surface contour and manipulate filament diameter down to the submicron scale. The patent-pending process also allows them to tune the porosity, making the material potentially useful for filtration, catalysis and electrochemical energy harvesting.
 
Naskar noted that the sulfonation process allows for great flexibility as the carbon fibres exhibit properties that are dictated by processing conditions. For this project, the researchers produced carbon fibres with unique cross-sectional geometry, from hollow circular to gear-shaped by using a multi-component melt extrusion-based fibre spinning method.
 
The possibilities are virtually endless, according to Naskar, who described the process.
 
"We dip the fibre bundle into an acid containing a chemical bath where it reacts and forms a black fibre that no longer will melt," Naskar said. "It is this sulfonation reaction that transforms the plastic fibreinto an infusible form.
 
"At this stage, the plastic molecules bond, and with further heating cannot melt or flow. At very high temperatures, this fibre retains mostly carbon and all other elements volatise off in different gas or compound forms."
 
The researchers also noted that their discovery represents a success for DOE, which seeks advances in lightweight materials that can, among other things, help the US auto industry design cars able to achieve more miles per gallon with no compromise in safety or comfort.

And the raw material, which could come from grocery store plastic bags, carpet backing scraps and salvage, is abundant and inexpensive.