title: Carbon fibers: precursor systems, processing, structure, and properties.
abstract: This Review gives an overview of precursor systems, their processing, and the final precursor-dependent structure of carbon fibers (CFs) including new developments in precursor systems for low-cost CFs. The following CF precursor systems are discussed: poly(acrylonitrile)-based copolymers, pitch, cellulose, lignin, poly(ethylene), and new synthetic polymeric precursors for high-end CFs. In addition, structure-property relationships and the different models for describing both the structure and morphology of CFs will be presented.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Textilchemie und Chemiefasern (ITCF Denkendorf), Körschtalstrasse 26, 73770 Denkendorf (Germany).
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Steudle
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ingildeev
authors.forename: Johanna M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Spörl
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Buchmeiser
keywords: carbon fibers; cellulose; lignin; pitch; poly(acrylonitrile)