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Nanofibers |
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The development division Electrovac Nanofibers (ENF) was created for the production and subsequent processing of carbon nanofibers (CNF, nanoscaled graphite structures). Among others, the physical properties of carbon are utilized to improve the properties of compound materials, such as in masterbatches filled with CNF or in epoxy resins. In addition to already existing, CNF-reinforced Electrovac products, they can also be applied to enhance existing materials. Due to the wide range of possible uses of CNF utilization, solutions are of interest to various industry sectors, such as the automotive industry, the sports equipment industry, and the aviation industry.
Carbon nanofibers are produced in the CCVD (Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition) process. This process enables cost-efficient production of industry-scale volumes for our customers.
Electrovac is Austria’s sole producer of carbon nanofibers (CNF) and holds relevant patents for the production of such nanofibers (filiform graphite tubes with a diameter of a few nanometers: 1nm = one millionth of a millimeter). |
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| Nanotechnology at Electrovac |
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| About Carbon Nanofibers |
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Nano:
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Carbon Nanofibers:
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Nanotubes:
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(Greek nânos, nánnos dwarf)
The word is a combining form with the meaning “very small, minute”. One nanometer is equivalent to 10-9 meters, or 0.000000001 (one-billionth) meters. Atoms are about 0.1 to 0.5 nanometers in size. Nanometer dimensions are not visible to the naked eye.
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Nanofibers are of larger dimensions than nanotubes; however, there are no exactly defined size categories of these nanomaterials. Carbon nanofibers are applied in the same fields as nanotubes. Diameters are between 80 and 200nm.
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Tiny tubes with diameters of one nanometer up to several 100 nm. In comparison, a human hair is about 10,000 times as thick. Carbon nanotubes are made from graphite.
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History:
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R. Smalley und H. Kroto:
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S. Iijima:
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In 1959, the physicist Richard Feynman gave a talk "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society. The term “nanotechnology” was only coined in 1980 by Norio Taniguchi and in 1986 by Eric Drexler. Thus, nanotechnology is a very young science.
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In the mid-eighties they discovered a third major form of carbon.
Because of its resemblance to the geodesic dome built by architect Fuller, these carbon structures were named Fullerene. For the discovery of carbon 60 they received the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
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In Japan in 1991, S. Iijima observed a tube-like carbon structure consisting of closed, cylindrically shaped graphite layers. These carbon nanotubes (CNT) have diameters between 1-10 nm and, in controlled manufacturing processes, may reach lengths of up to a few micrometers.
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Polymer:
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Additives:
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Masterbatches:
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(Greek poly many, meros parts)
A chemical compound of high molecular weight consisting of molecule chains.
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They enhance properties of polymers, the basic synthetic. Polymers are custom-made according to application and requirements.
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Highly concentrated additives or pigments added to basic polymer during processing to improve final attributes.
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