The Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA) is proud to announce groundbreaking advancements in the production of high-quality precursor fibers specifically engineered for the creation of high-performance carbon fibers.
The Bombay Textile Research Association has made significant developments in producing high-quality precursor fibers which are specifically designed to produce high-performance carbon fibers. Under the leadership of Dr T V Sreekumar (Director BTRA), BTRA has developed two different specific types of precursors: first is conventional polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor fiber and second is CNT-reinforced PAN (PAN/CNT) precursor fiber.
Unleashing the Power of Carbon Fiber:Carbon fibers are renowned for their exceptional strength, stiffness, and lightweight properties, making them indispensable in various industries, including aerospace, automotive, construction, and sports equipment. BTRA’s cutting-edge precursor fibers serve as the foundation for these remarkable carbon fibers, enabling the development of innovative and high-performance materials.
Both of these precursors, PAN and PAN/CNT fibers, have excellent strength equivalent and above 600 MPa which is a required benchmark strength for the production of high-performance carbon fibers. We are regularly producing PAN precursor fibres of up to 720 MPa. However, the PAN/CNT precursor fibers show even better properties with lower shrinkage and higher strength in the precursor and the PANOX variant of these fibers. Considering the improvements due to these observations, the PANOX fibers of the PAN/CNT precursor are expected to exhibit significant performance characteristics because of their enhanced graphitic structure. Presently, BTRA has the capability to manufacture these advanced precursor fibers in the tow sizes of 1K, 2K, 3K, and 4K filaments through its world-class facility research facility prepared under the flagship of the National Technical Textile Mission (NTTM) project. This capability positions BTRA at the advanced frontier of material science where BTRA can significantly contribute in providing precursor fiber for carbon fibers required for strategic applications such as aerospace and defense.
