As discussions on the limitations of fossil energy such as coal and oil are actively taking place, various fields are struggling to come up with alternatives. In particular, in the field of transportation devices such as automobiles and airplanes, research is steadily being conducted to increase energy efficiency by reducing the weight of the device itself, while making clear results in the development of new engines that have escaped from internal combustion engines such as electricity.
Professor Hong Soon-hyung of KAIST participated as a presenter of the "2019 Advanced Lightweight Parts Development and Composite Material Application Technology Seminar" held at the aT Center in Seoul on the 15th and gave a lecture under the theme of "Manufacturing and Application of High-Strength, Multifunctional Nanocomposite Materials."
Professor Hong, who started the presentation by saying, "Lightening is the keyword," said, "Composite materials that gain improved physical properties include existing properties to increase both strength and elasticity coefficient, while showing flexibility in terms of design.
According to Professor Hong's presentation, there were various methods to make composite materials in the past, and representative methods include mixing or dissolving them mechanically in powder form and dispersing them.
Nanomaterials are highly cohesive, so if they are not specially treated for uniform dispersion, mixing itself may not work well and the interface may not adhere well, Professor Hong said. "To solve these two problems, mixing at the molecular level is necessary."
Among the most popular composite materials, CFRP is expected to be widely used in automobile body panels and car seats, but it has not yet been actively applied due to price and process issues, Professor Hong said, "If you use composite materials well, the weight may be reduced by up to a third." In particular, if nanocomposite materials are used in automobiles, they will be made lighter by a higher level."
In addition, Professor Hong said, "If graphene is used to coat the exterior of the car, it is theoretically possible to prevent scratches or corrosion."
Yang Chul-min, a senior researcher at KIST, who announced the "Trend of Carbon Fiber Composite Technology Development," said, "We need to secure polymer composite material manufacturing technology in preparation for the rapid growth of the ultra-lightweight and multifunctional plastic parts market."
According to researcher Yang, the size of the CFRP market was only 10 trillion won in 2014, but it is expected to grow rapidly to 27.4 trillion won by 2025, leading most of this market growth in the aviation sector.
"The CFRP market in the aviation sector was only 4.6 trillion won in 2014, but it will more than double to 14 trillion won by 2025, 98% of which will be thermosetting resin," said Yang. "Boeing's B767 weighs 60 tons, but the B787 has succeeded in reducing the weight of the aircraft to 48 tons."