Pan-based carbon fibers—present state and trend of the technology from the viewpoint of possibilities and limits to influence and to control the fiber properties by the process parameters

The article covers the history, the present state and an outlook for the future of carbon fibers and their application in composites. Starting with the beginning of industrial fabrication, strongly supported by the U.S. Air Force and NASA, British and Japanese initiatives have achieved industrial superiority in this field, which is mainly maintained today by the Japanese industry. The today's user demands of carbon fibers are discussed in detail. The discussion of the possibilities for further improvement is mainly based on own research results.