Driven by technological innovation, the continuous silicon carbide fiber industry develops rapidly

​​​​According to different shapes, silicon carbide fibers can be divided into silicon carbide whiskers and continuous silicon carbide fibers. Continuous silicon carbide fiber refers to an inorganic fiber with a β-silicon carbide structure made from organic silicon compounds as raw materials through spinning, carbonization or vapor deposition. Continuous silicon carbide fiber has the advantages of good thermal stability, high hardness, strength and corrosion resistance, and has broad application prospects in the nuclear industry, aerospace and other fields.

At the current stage of development, continuous silicon carbide fiber has three generations of products. The first generation of continuous silicon carbide fibers was produced in the early 1990s. my country realized industrial production in 2005. The first generation products had poor temperature resistance and could not meet application needs; the second generation of continuous silicon carbide fibers were high-performance products. , can meet the production needs of high-end civilian equipment and military equipment. my country achieved large-scale production in 2016; the third generation of continuous silicon carbide fiber has the best temperature resistance, but its core production technology is mastered by overseas developed countries, and our country is actively engaged in research and development stage.

According to the “2022-2027 China Continuous Silicon Carbide Fiber Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center , chemical vapor deposition method and precursor conversion method are the main preparation methods of continuous silicon carbide fiber. The chemical vapor deposition method uses methylsilane compounds as the main raw material, adds hydrogen to crack it into silicon carbide, and then produces continuous silicon carbide fibers through surface deposition; the precursor conversion method is mainly used to prepare fine-diameter continuous silicon carbide fibers. The preparation process includes four steps: precursor synthesis, melt spinning, non-melting treatment and high-temperature sintering. This method has the advantages of low production cost and convenient operation, and is suitable for large-scale production.

As a high-performance ceramic fiber, continuous silicon carbide fiber has broad application prospects in high-tech fields, including nuclear industry, aerospace, wind power generation, etc. In the aerospace field, continuous silicon carbide fibers can be used to manufacture blades, static airfoils and brackets for gas turbine engines, making them ideal materials for fighter aircraft components. As research and development continues to deepen, the application range of continuous silicon carbide fibers is expected to be further expanded.

The world’s leading continuous silicon carbide fiber companies are mainly concentrated in Japan, including Ube Kosan UBE and Nippon Carbon. The main continuous silicon carbide fiber manufacturers in my country include Chujiang New Materials, Torch Electronics, Zhongxing New Materials, Guoen Co., Ltd., etc. Torch Electronics is my country’s first enterprise with large-scale production capabilities for third-generation continuous silicon carbide fibers.

Industry analysts said that continuous silicon carbide fiber has excellent performance and has broad application prospects in high-tech fields. With the gradual release of market demand , the industry development space will continue to expand in the future. my country’s continuous silicon carbide fiber industry started late, and there is a certain gap in production capacity compared with overseas developed countries. However, driven by the technological innovation of leading companies, the development speed of my country’s continuous silicon carbide fiber industry will continue to accelerate.