A fiber-reinforced resin forming material contains at least a matrix resin and bundled aggregates of discontinuous reinforcing fibers, wherein: the bundled aggregates include both reinforcing fiber aggregates A having a shape formed by cutting after having performed a splitting treatment to completely split the strands of continuous reinforcing fibers into a plurality of bundles of strands, and reinforcing fiber aggregates B1 having a shape that includes unsplit parts where splitting treatment was inadequate and/or reinforcing fiber aggregates B2 having a shape not subjected to splitting treatment; and both the ratio of the weight of the reinforcing fiber aggregates B1 with respect to the total weight of reinforcing fibers in the fiber-reinforced resin forming material, and the ratio of the total weight of the reinforcing fiber aggregates B1 and the reinforcing fiber aggregates B2 with respect to the total weight of reinforcing fibers in the fiber-reinforced resin forming material, are 50-95%.

A fiber-reinforced resin forming material contains at least a matrix resin and bundled aggregates of discontinuous reinforcing fibers, wherein: the bundled aggregates include both reinforcing fiber aggregates A having a shape formed by cutting after having performed a splitting treatment to completely split the strands of continuous reinforcing fibers into a plurality of bundles of strands, and reinforcing fiber aggregates B1 having a shape that includes unsplit parts where splitting treatment was inadequate and/or reinforcing fiber aggregates B2 having a shape not subjected to splitting treatment; and both the ratio of the weight of the reinforcing fiber aggregates B1 with respect to the total weight of reinforcing fibers in the fiber-reinforced resin forming material, and the ratio of the total weight of the reinforcing fiber aggregates B1 and the reinforcing fiber aggregates B2 with respect to the total weight of reinforcing fibers in the fiber-reinforced resin forming material, are 50-95%.

Fabric supercapacitors are disclosed herein. The fabric supercapacitor can include an ion permeable separator layer having two opposed surfaces; two electrode layers disposed on the opposed surfaces of the ion permeable separator layer; and two conducting layers disposed on outer surfaces of the two electrode layers and opposite the ion permeable separator layer. The electrode layers can comprise an activated carbon fiber fabric. The activated carbon fiber fabric can be derived from a precursor fabric which has been carbonized, activated, and coated with an electrolyte. The electrolyte can include a polymer gel. The conducting layers can include a non-activated carbon fiber fabric. The fabric supercapacitors disclosed herein exhibit great flexibility which allows the supercapacitors to find use in applications such as apparel products, outdoor activity products, sports wears, and other industrial end uses. Methods of making fabric supercapacitors are also disclosed.

A circular needle loom comprises a bed plate for receiving a transport layer. Engagement members may be disposed proximate to the bed plate, such that the engagement members interface with a positional structure of the transport layer that is used to position and rotate the transport layer around the bed plate. The engagement members may be configured to rotate the transport layer around the bed plate until a predetermined number of fibers and/or layers are deposited on the transport layer and/or bed plate in order to create a needled preform.

A circular needle loom comprises a bed plate for receiving a transport layer. Engagement members may be disposed proximate to the bed plate, such that the engagement members interface with a positional structure of the transport layer that is used to position and rotate the transport layer around the bed plate. The engagement members may be configured to rotate the transport layer around the bed plate until a predetermined number of fibers and/or layers are deposited on the transport layer and/or bed plate in order to create a needled preform.

Disclosed is a method of: providing a mixture of a polymer or a resin and a transition metal compound, producing a fiber from the mixture, and heating the fiber under conditions effective to form a carbon nanotube-containing carbonaceous fiber. The polymer or resin is an aromatic polymer or a precursor thereof and the mixture is a neat mixture or is combined with a solvent. Also disclosed are a carbonaceous fiber or carbonaceous nanofiber sheet having at least 15 wt. % carbon nanotubes, a fiber or nanofiber sheet having the a polymer or a resin and the transition metal compound, and a fiber or nanofiber sheet having an aromatic polymer and metal nanoparticles.

Disclosed is a method of: providing a mixture of a polymer or a resin and a transition metal compound, producing a fiber from the mixture, and heating the fiber under conditions effective to form a carbon nanotube-containing carbonaceous fiber. The polymer or resin is an aromatic polymer or a precursor thereof and the mixture is a neat mixture or is combined with a solvent. Also disclosed are a carbonaceous fiber or carbonaceous nanofiber sheet having at least 15 wt. % carbon nanotubes, a fiber or nanofiber sheet having the a polymer or a resin and the transition metal compound, and a fiber or nanofiber sheet having an aromatic polymer and metal nanoparticles.

The present invention relates to a multipurpose functional nonwoven fabric, and to a multipurpose functional nonwoven fabric which is manufactured by performing a pretreatment process on carbonized fiber cotton, and stacking the pretreated carbonized fiber on natural cotton, mixing the pretreated carbonized fiber cotton with the natural cotton and scutching the mixed cotton, or introducing the natural cotton and stacking the natural cotton on an intermediate layer of the pretreated carbonized fiber, and a method for manufacturing same. Web formation and stacking at a cutting machine can be easily performed by performing the pretreatment process on the carbonized fiber. Excellent heat resistance and conductivity is obtained by stacking the carbonized fiber cotton on natural cotton, mixing the carbonized fiber cotton with the natural cotton, scutching the mixed carbonized fiber cotton and the natural cotton and stacking the scutched cotton, or introducing natural cotton into an intermediate layer of the carbonized fiber cotton, stacking the natural cotton on the intermediate layer of the carbonized fiber cotton, and subjecting the stacked cotton to needle punching. Since a surface temperature of the nonwoven fabric can be lowered and the loss of heat can be reduced through dissipation and dispersion of heat, thermal retention and insulation properties of the entangled natural cotton can be enhanced, and carbonization prevention and incombustiblization of the natural cotton can be achieved. Also, the multipurpose functional nonwoven fabric can be manufactured at a low production cost and exhibit environmentally friendly characteristics, and a waste material can be recycled.

The present invention relates to a multipurpose functional nonwoven fabric, and to a multipurpose functional nonwoven fabric which is manufactured by performing a pretreatment process on carbonized fiber cotton, and stacking the pretreated carbonized fiber on natural cotton, mixing the pretreated carbonized fiber cotton with the natural cotton and scutching the mixed cotton, or introducing the natural cotton and stacking the natural cotton on an intermediate layer of the pretreated carbonized fiber, and a method for manufacturing same. Web formation and stacking at a cutting machine can be easily performed by performing the pretreatment process on the carbonized fiber. Excellent heat resistance and conductivity is obtained by stacking the carbonized fiber cotton on natural cotton, mixing the carbonized fiber cotton with the natural cotton, scutching the mixed carbonized fiber cotton and the natural cotton and stacking the scutched cotton, or introducing natural cotton into an intermediate layer of the carbonized fiber cotton, stacking the natural cotton on the intermediate layer of the carbonized fiber cotton, and subjecting the stacked cotton to needle punching. Since a surface temperature of the nonwoven fabric can be lowered and the loss of heat can be reduced through dissipation and dispersion of heat, thermal retention and insulation properties of the entangled natural cotton can be enhanced, and carbonization prevention and incombustiblization of the natural cotton can be achieved. Also, the multipurpose functional nonwoven fabric can be manufactured at a low production cost and exhibit environmentally friendly characteristics, and a waste material can be recycled.

There is provided a random mat including carbon fibers having an average fiber length of from 3 mm to 100 mm and a thermoplastic resin, wherein a fiber areal weight of the carbon fibers is from 25 to 10,000 g/m.sup.2, a proportion of carbon fiber bundles (A) constituted by single carbon filaments of a critical single fiber number or more defined by the formula (1) to the total amount of fibers in the random mat is from 40 to 99 Vol %, and an average number (N) of fibers in the carbon fiber bundles (A) satisfies the formula (2):
critical single fiber number=600/D(1)
2.010.sup.5/D.sup.2N<8.010.sup.5/D.sup.2(2) wherein D is an average fiber diameter (m) of carbon fibers.