Upcycling of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites

An upcycling method of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) was proposed to solve environmental pollution caused by waste CFRP. Novel graphene supported on alumina fiber porous material (GPM) was prepared, which could generate plasma under microwave irradiation in a nitrogen atmosphere. This plasma could generate a high temperature that not only pyrolyzed the thermosetting polymer in CFRP into combustible gas but also improved the graphitization degree of recycled carbon fiber (CF) beyond that of the virgin CF. This upcycling method obtained T300 short-cut carbon fiber (SCF) without additional surface treatment has better properties than commercial T700 SCF when prepared composite.

Automated summary

A new method of upcycling carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) is proposed, using graphene supported on alumina fiber porous material (GPM) to generate plasma under microwave irradiation in a nitrogen atmosphere. This plasma can generate high temperature to pyrolyze the thermosetting polymer in CFRP into combustible gas and improve the graphitization degree of recycled carbon fiber (CF), resulting in T300 short-cut carbon fiber (SCF) with better properties than commercial T700 SCF when prepared composite.