Phenolic Fiber-Protection of Stability in Life

 brief introduction

 Phenolic fibers are resins synthesized by condensation of phenolic substances and aldehydes, and then fibers obtained by spinning. Finally, they can be used by crosslinking. Phenolic fibers play a unique role in the field of flame-retardant and insulation requirements, so they are often used as fire-retardant and fire-resistant protective clothing (fire-fighting clothing, racing clothing).

 When did phenolic fibers enter life?

 When did phenolic fibers enter life? Since 1970s, the fibers have been industrialized by American Diamond Sand Company. The product name Kynol was later transferred to Japan Kynol Company. It was finally annexed by Japan's largest phenolic resin manufacturer Qunrong Chemical Company. Now it has a capacity of 600 t/a and 11 brands. There are two kinds of products, short fibers and non-woven fabrics, which are golden yellow, with single filament fibers of 1.67-3.3 dtex, length of 38-100 mm and strength of only 1.67 dtex. 5-1.8 C N/dtex. LOI is 30-32, it does not burn but carbonizes on the surface, does not release harmful gases. Long-term heat resistance temperature is 150 C. It is the only instantaneous organic fiber that can withstand 2450 C. It has excellent hand feel and can withstand low temperature. In China, it was first developed by Shanghai Textile Research Institute and Zhuzhou Industrial Research Institute in the 1970s and 1980s, and then stagnated due to the limited market. At present, Shandong Laiwu Runda New Materials Co., Ltd. realizes small-scale industrialization with a capacity of 100 t/a.

Why do phenolic fibers have good properties?

 Firstly, we know the structure of phenolic resin, which has aromatic rings in its main chain, so the molecule has conjugate system and good stability. At the same time, it is a bulk polymer spinning with low molecular compound and then crosslinking, which has the characteristics of insoluble and insoluble, and also has good chemical resistance. Before the application of phenolic resin, flame retardant materials should be added halogen, phosphorus and other elements to improve the flame retardancy. These elements can only improve the flame retardancy in appearance, but can not improve the melting properties of fibers at high temperature, which may lead to burns. However, the high flame retardancy of phenolic resin itself can avoid the addition of these elements. So this advantage makes it widely used in fire fighting clothing, equipment fire shield cloth, and even as the thermal insulation layer of spacecraft shell.

 Other Applications of Phenolic Fibers

 Phenolic fibers also have good ablative and thermal insulation properties. Because they are cross-linked polymers, they can decompose into water and carbon dioxide at flame temperature to take away heat. Therefore, they can be made into many composite materials, which can enhance their properties. It has been widely used in missile thermal protection.

 At the same time, phenolic fibers have good solvent resistance because of their cross-linking structure, so they are often used as fillers. The sealing filler has good sealing performance, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, self-lubrication and impermeability, and can be used in valves, reciprocating pumps and other components of chemical, mechanical, textile and other processes.

 Finally, phenolic fibers are also widely used in the carbon fiber industry. Phenolic fibers have the advantages of fast carbonization speed, less harmful gas escaped (low smoke and toxicity). At the same time, they can be further made into phenolic activated carbon fibers. Compared with traditional activated carbon, they have the characteristics of homogeneous structure after activation and can be adsorbed and desorbed by liquid and gas phases. Moreover, the materials based on activated carbon fibers are small in size and easy to use. Therefore, phenolic activated carbon is often used as deodorizing filter and air purifier, as well as gas mask. Because of its excellent filtration and separation function, it has been deeply studied in artificial organs of artificial liver and kidney.

 In summary, phenolic fibers, as a new type of special high-performance fibers, have gradually entered our lives in constant experiments and research, and penetrated into all aspects of life. They also play an indispensable role in all walks of life, from necessities of life to national defense, which also reflects that science and technology are the first productive force, and science and technology serve the development of civilization in the future. In the research, we can still dig deeper from the utilization of phenolic fibers.