Carbon Composite Made by Sewing... Strong but Foldable

Self-folding carbon composite material

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] Domestic researchers have developed a technology capable of processing high-strength carbon fiber reinforced composites. This technology involves sewing carbon composites with metal threads, allowing them to fold and unfold depending on the temperature. It is expected to be applicable in various fields in the future. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced on the 6th the research results of Dr. Minwook Lee's team at the Structural Composite Materials Research Center.

The research team developed a technology to process carbon composites that are four times stronger than steel and more than three times lighter than aluminum. They sewed the carbon composites with metal threads so that the sewn parts could be folded. When electricity flows through the metal threads, the resin in the sewn area melts and softens, allowing it to fold, and when the temperature is lowered, it returns to its original state.

Through repeated experiments, the team confirmed that the material maintained superior strength compared to aluminum even after folding and unfolding more than 10 times. In particular, since the structure of the carbon composite can be changed using power at the level of a commonly used auxiliary battery, 15W (15V, 1A), it is expected to be a technology applicable in real-world settings.

Senior Researcher Minwook Lee of KIST stated, "This research is significant in that it presents an economical method to shape high-strength carbon composites into desired forms through a simple sewing technique," adding, "We especially expect this research to be applied in manufacturing large structural composites with complex shapes, such as those used in aircraft and automobiles."

The research results were published in the latest issue of Composite Engineering (JCR top 2.00%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.