PBO Fiber (ZYLON®)
What is PBO (ZYLON®)？
PBO FIBER ZYLON®
ZYLON® consists of rigid rod chain molecules of poly(p-phenylene-2, 6-benzobisoxazole)(PBO).
A poly-p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole (PBO) fiber Toyobo developed and put on the market in 1998. It is the world’s strongest PBO fiber with the highest flame resistance. Among existing organic fibers, PBO has world-leading levels of strength, tensile modulus and heat resistance. The product’s many applications include rope and cable, heat-resistant materials and racing car bodies
ZYLON® Fiber Property
ZYLON®(PBO fiber) is the next generation super fiber with strength and modulus almost doubles that of p-Aramid fiber. ZYLON® shows 100℃ higher decomposition temperature than p-Aramid fiber. The limiting oxygen index is 68, which is the highest among organic super fibers. There are two types of fibers, AS (as spun) and HM (high modulus). HM is different fromAS in modulus, moisture regain and etc.
| Type | AS (Regular) | HM (High Modulus) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filament Decitex | (dtex) | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Density | (g/cm³) | 1.54 | 1.56 |
| Moisture Regain (65% RH) | (%) | 2.0 | 0.6 |
| Tensile Strength | (cN/dtex) | 37 | 37 |
| (GPa) | 5.8 | 5.8 | |
| (KSI) | 840 | 840 | |
| Tensile Modulus | (cN/dtex) | 1150 | 1720 |
| (GPa) | 180 | 270 | |
| (KSI) | 26 | 39 | |
| Elongation at Break | (%) | 3.5 | 2.5 |
| Melting Temperature | (℃) | none | none |
| Decomposition Temperature in Air | (℃) | 650 | 650 |
| Coefficient of Thermal Expansion | (ppm/℃) | – | -6 |
| Limiting Oxygen Index | 68 | 68 | |
| Dielectric Constant at 100kHz | – | 3.0 | |
| Dissipation Factor | – | 0.001 | |
Mechanical Property
Tensile Strength and Modulus
Zylon® fiber has superior tensile strength and modulus to p-Aramid fiber.
Flame Resistance and Thermal stability
Zylon® fiber has outstanding flame resistance and thermal stability among organic fibers.
Creep Properties
Creep Properties ZYLON® has superior creep resistance to p-Aramid fibers. (Creep means a non-recoverable strain after prolonged static loading.) When a certain load is applied to yarn, recoverable strain (initial strain) and non-recoverable strain are observed. For ZYLON® HM, non-recoverable strain after 100 hours under 50% of breaking load (Safety factor (SF)=2) is less than 0.03%.
Creep Parameter
Creep Parameter Creep parameters (slope of straight line in above figure) are compared with p-Aramid fibers. ZYLON® shows less than half of creep parameter of p-Aramid fiber. Creep strain is measured under 50% of the breaking load for each fiber. Note that the actual load applied to ZYLON® is almost double that of p-Aramid fiber.
| Zylon AS | Zylon HM | p-Aramid | p-Aramid HM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2×10-4 | 1.1×10-4 | 5.0×10-4 | 2.5×10-4 |
*Time to failure
After a certain loading time, yarn breakage may occur. The above figure shows the relationship between time to failure and applied load level (ZYLON®HM). Based on the extrapolation, 107 minutes (19 years) of time to failure can be estimated under 60% of the breaking strength。。
Abrasion Resistance between fiber and metal
Abrasion resistance between fiber and metal Abrasion resistance of ZYLON® is higher than p-Aramid fiber under the same load, but much lower than Nylon or high molecular weight polyethylene fiber.
Light resistance
The strength of ZYLON® decreases with exposure to sunlight. Light resistance of ZYLON® was evaluated using Xenon light weather-ometer. As shown below, the strength decreases sharply at the initial stage of exposure. End products of ZYLON for outdoor use have to be protected by covering materials. The residual strength of ZYLON® after 6 months exposure to daylight is about 35%.
ZYLON® should be protected not only from ultraviolet light but also from visible light. These data show strength retention after exposure to fluorescent lamp.
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Comparison with Other High-performance Fibers
ZYLON® has the highest tensile strength and tensile modulus among high-performance fibers.
| Tensile Strength | Tensile Modulus | Elongation at Break | Density | Moisture Regain | LoI | Heat Resistance* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cN/dtex | g/d | GPa | cN/dtex | g/d | GPa | % | g/cm³ | % | ℃ | ||
| ZYLON-AS | 37 | 42 | 5.8 | 1150 | 1300 | 180 | 3.5 | 1.54 | 2.0 | 68 | 650 |
| ZYLON-HM | 37 | 42 | 5.8 | 1720 | 2000 | 270 | 2.5 | 1.56 | 0.6 | 68 | 650 |
| p-Aramid | 19 | 22 | 2.8 | 750 | 850 | 109 | 2.4 | 1.45 | 4.5 | 29 | 550 |
| m-Aramid | 4.7 | 5.3 | 0.65 | 124 | 140 | 17 | 22 | 1.38 | 4.5 | 29 | 400 |
| Steel Fiber | 3.5 | 4 | 2.8 | 260 | 290 | 200 | 1.4 | 7.8 | 0 | – | – |
| Carbon Fiber | 20 | 23 | 3.5 | 1310 | 1480 | 230 | 1.5 | 1.76 | – | – | – |
| PBI | 2.7 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 40 | 45 | 5.6 | 30 | 1.4 | 15 | 41 | 550 |
| Polyester | 8 | 9 | 1.1 | 110 | 125 | 15 | 25 | 1.38 | 0.4 | 17 | 260 |
* Melting or Decomposition
With its wide range of product lineups from staple fibers all the way to composite products, we aim to meet various needs for high-intensity applications. ZYLON® is developed to improve, enhance, and protect—across industries and around the world.
Product Lineups
| Staple Fiber | AS | HM | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Cut Length (mm) | 4476 | – | |||||||
| Chopped Fiber | AS | HM | ||||||||
 |
Cut Length (mm) | 136 | 136 | |||||||
| Spun Yarn | AS | HM | ||||||||
 |
Yarn Count | (Na) | 20/120/230/1 | – | ||||||
| (Nm) | 34/134/251/1 | – | ||||||||
| Filament | AS | HM | ||||||||
 |
Linear Density (dtex) | 16527855511101670 | 273545109016403270 | |||||||
| Filaments | 99166332664996 | 1663326649961992 | ||||||||
| Cylindrical Bobbin Innerdiameter (mm) | 94 | 94 | ||||||||
| Cylindrical bobbin Length (mm) | 216 | 216 | ||||||||
| Woven Fabric | LZY3011 | LZY0530W | LZY0535W | LZY0242W | LZY0160W | LZY0140W | LZY1618 | LZY1613 | ||
 |
Fiber Type | AS1670dtex×2 | AS555dtex | AS555dtex | AS278dtex | AS110dtex | AS165dtex | HM1640dtex | HM1640dtex | |
| Weaving Structure | Plain | Plain | Plain | Plain | Plain | Plain | Plain | Plain | ||
| Width (m) × Length (m) | 1.1 × 100 | 1.2 × 100 | 1.2 × 100 | 1.2 × 100 | 1.0 × 100 | 1.0 × 100 | 1.0 × 100 | 1.0 × 100 | ||
| Density (yarns/inch) | Warp | 11±1 | 30±2 | 35±2 | 42±2 | 60±3 | 40±2 | 18±2 | 13±1 | |
| Fill | 10±1 | 30±2 | 35±2 | 42±2 | 60±3 | 40±2 | 18±2 | 13±1 | ||
| Weight (g/m2) | 280±20 | 135±10 | 160±15 | 96±6 | 54±3 | 54±3 | 230±20 | 170±15 | ||
| Thickness (mm) | 0.60±0.10 | 0.20±0.05 | 0.25±0.05 | 0.15±0.03 | 0.08±0.02 | 0.08±0.02 | 0.40±0.15 | 0.23±0.05 | ||
| Composite | ||||||||||
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Under Development Available to offer sample products |
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Applications
Sports
ZYLON® fiber composite reinforcements offer effective solutions for the rigorous and competitive requirements of sports and recreational activities. Our products elevate athletic equipment performance and durability, while also decreasing weight compared to traditional materials.
Industrial Materials
ZYLON® fiber enhances durability and structural integrity, allowing users to engineer solutions for heavy duty applications. Combining heat resistance and high modulus, ZYLON® outperforms similar organic fibers in many key properties and is built for extended use.
Aerospace
For nearly 30 years, ZYLON® has been a fiber of choice for a variety of space exploration and specialty aerospace applications. Its weight to strength ratio, low deformation rate, and high LOI put ZYLON® on the short list of technologies capable of meeting specific outer space and high-altitude engineering requirements.
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