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Atomic Structure

Giant Molecules - Carbon Fibres - Properties and Uses.

 Carbon Fibres are very thin.
They are less than one hundredth of a millimetre in diameter.
They can be more than three times as strong as steel
but with less than one quarter of the density.

Carbon fibres are made by heating long polymer chains
containing carbon and other atoms until there is only carbon left.
The chains are heated where there is no oxygen
to prevent the carbon atoms reacting to form carbon dioxide.

  Carbon fibres are used to reinforce a large number of materials.
The materials are mainly polymers called carbon fibre reinforced plastic.
The carbon fibres make the polymer stronger.

Carbon fibres are used to make an increasingly large number of products
 including aircraft, cars, boats, sports equipment
 (fishing rods, tennis rackets, golf clubs) and bicycles.

See also graphite, fullerenes and nanotubes.

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