Chemistry: Carbon fiber

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Carbon fiber (running from lower left to upper right) and a human hair.

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Carbon fiber is a material consisting of extremely thin fibers composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in microscopic crystals which form a single strand, several thousand of these strands form a yarn, which is woven to make a fiber.

Carbon fiber is usually put n plastic to make carbon fiber reinforced plastic. This is used in sports, electronics and some toys.

Carbon fiber can be made from heating PAN (polyacrylonitrile) to approximately 300°C (572 ºF) which breaks many of the hydrogen bonds and oxidizes the material. The oxidized PAN is then placed into a furnace having an inert atmosphere of a gas such as argon, and heated to approximately 2000 °C (3632 ºF) which changes the structure of the molecules. The result is usually 93-95% carbon.

Sources:
Wikipedia