Carbon fibers are a new breed of high-strength materials. The existence of carbon fiber came into being in 1879 when Edison took out a patent for the manufacture of carbon filaments suitable for use in electric lamps. However, it was in the early 1960s when successful commercial production was started, as the requirements of the aerospace industry for better and lightweight materials became of paramount importance. In recent decades, carbon fibers have found wide applications in commercial and civilian aircraft, along with recreational, industrial, and transportation markets as the price of carbon fiber has come down and technologies have matured. The market for carbon fiber has experienced a good growth in recent years. The growth rate for the last 23years was about 12%. The article reviewed 9,641 Korea, U.S., Japan, Europe patents issued in the carbon fibers in order to offer additional insight for researchers and companies seeking to navigate carbon fiber patent landscape. This article will provide you with all the valuable information and tools you will need to investigate your study successfully within the carbon fiber field. This article also will save you hundreds of hours of your own personal research time and will significantly benefit you in expanding your business in the carbon fiber market.

• Min-Kang Seo(Dept. of Chemistry, Inha University)
• Sang-Hee Park(Jeonju Institute of Machinery and Carbon Composites)
• Shin-Jae Kang(Jeonju Institute of Machinery and Carbon Composites)
• Soo-Jin Park(Dept. of Chemistry, Inha University)