Carbon fibers are an ultra-lightweight material with excellent mechanical and physical properties, and can therefore be used in a wide range of applications. For example, carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) mainly containing polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fibers are effective in the fabrication of lightweight transportation equipment such as aircraft, automobiles, ships, drones and flying cars. They can decrease carbon dioxide emissions by improving fuel efficiency and accordingly conserve fossil resources. In addition, many machines such as the robotic arms/hands used to transport large liquid crystal substrates or long conveyor rolls for ultra-high speed production, use CFRPs containing pitch-based carbon fibers, especially mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers, due to their excellent damping properties. This paper focuses on carbon fibers that were invented in Japan and Japanese companies lead the world in this field. The first half of each section describes the manufacturing history of PAN-based carbon fibers invented in 1959 and pitch-based ones invented in 1963, and the second half introduces technology developments and recent R&D trends for both types. In addition, the current status of recycling technologies for CFRPs is summarized.
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