Teijin Limited and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a highly crystalline carbon nanofiber (CNF) which it says will offer 30% greater electrical conductivity than conventional products. The extra-conductive CNF, which is 100-300 nanometres in diameter and 20 micrometers long, has been developed with a melt-spinning process.

Teijin says that since melt-spinning is widely used for the production of ordinary chemical fibres, the newly developed CNF can be manufactured by utilizing current manufacturing facilities, which will help to minimize manufacturing costs. In addition, it is possible to manufacture CNF of high purity because no catalyst is used during the production process, the company says.

The primary application presently envisioned for the new CNF is battery components, particularly lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, including electrodes and additives for secondary batteries and capacitors. Other likely uses include plastic additives and fuel-cell gas-diffusion layers.  Teijin aims to commercialize the new CNF in 2011.

Teijin is a global technology-driven group operating in five main fields: synthetic fibers (polyester fibers, carbon fibers and aramid fibers); films and plastics; pharmaceuticals and home health care; trading and retail; and IT and new products.