Superfiber Market's 'Latecomer Disadvantage'... Turning the Tables with Ultra Superfiber

KIST Develops Superfiber with Added Electrical Conductivity
Opportunity to Seize Market Leadership Dominated by US DuPont

South Korea has acquired a weapon that could change the landscape of the 'superfiber' market, used in bulletproof vests, fire-resistant clothing, and high-performance tires. Aramid fiber, known as a 'superfiber' due to its light weight, high strength, and fire resistance, is currently dominated by the American company DuPont in the global market. Although South Korea developed and localized it in 1984, it lost leadership due to patent disputes as a latecomer. However, a domestic research team has now developed a new 'ultra-superfiber' that combines existing high performance with electrical conductivity. Attention is focused on whether this will reverse the existing market dynamics and regain leadership.

The research team led by Dr. Kim Dae-yoon at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced on the 23rd that they have developed a new composite fiber by applying carbon nanotubes to aramid fiber, resulting in a material that is light, strong, fire-resistant, and electrically conductive. The newly developed fiber appears black due to the carbon nanotubes.

Aramid fiber weighs only about 20% of steel but is more than five times stronger and does not burn even at 500 degrees Celsius, earning it the names 'superfiber' or 'golden thread.' It is an essential material used in various fields such as bulletproof vests, fire-resistant clothing, optical cable reinforcements, high-performance tires, and aerospace materials.

South Korea also succeeded in independently developing it in 1984 through the late Dr. Yoon Han-sik of KIST. However, as a latecomer, it faced long-term patent disputes with DuPont, which had entered the market earlier. Dr. Kim stated, “The technology developed this time is a fundamental technology that can change the landscape of the superfiber market.”

The research team drew inspiration from silkworm cocoons and succeeded in combining aramid and carbon nanotubes with extremely low dispersibility. Silkworm cocoons produce high-strength fibers from high concentrations of protein, which is possible by using a liquid crystal phase. By using a liquid crystal phase that has both fluidity and regularity, the composite fiber can be manufactured while minimizing the aggregation of aramid and carbon nanotubes and simultaneously improving alignment. The team realized a composite fiber with high specific strength comparable to commercially available aramid fibers and electrical conductivity about 90% that of copper wire by utilizing the liquid crystal phase.

The next-generation aramid fiber developed this time is flexible, corrosion-free, and about 30% lighter than copper wire by weight, despite having electrical conductivity and containing no metals at all. It is expected to be used as a next-generation wire in various fields such as smart military, medical robots, eco-friendly mobility, and aerospace in the future.

The research results were published in ‘Advanced Fiber Materials,’ an international journal in the fiber field (IF: 12.924, JCR 1.923%).

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