Analysis of the status quo of patent application for hemp fiber technology

As a kind of green fiber, hemp fiber has been in China for thousands of years and is one of the important textile fibers in China. It has a good reputation in the world. There are many varieties of hemp fiber, and more bast fiber is used in textiles, such as ramie, flax, jute, sisal, hemp, and apocynum. Today, relying on modern textile technology, hemp fiber is produced by blending with various plant, animal and chemical fibers to produce a variety of textile products, namely hemp fiber composites . In order to explore the layout of patents in this field, the author searches through the Chinese Patent Abstracts Database, and the search date is until January 18, 2018, in order to provide reference for related industries.

Start late and develop in an orderly manner

Hemp fiber composites are materials formed by the mixing of hemp fibers and other materials. In the field of hemp fiber composite materials, developed countries have invested heavily. According to the European Association of Cannabis Industry, there are about 15 to 20 companies in the EU engaged in the production and processing of hemp fiber. Developing countries also attach great importance to the research of hemp fiber composite materials, such as Turkey, Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, Brazil and other countries have research on hemp fiber for composite materials.

In comparison, the research work on hemp fiber composites in China started late. It is understood that the research on hemp fiber composite materials in China began in 1994. According to patent data, between 1994 and 2012, the number of patent applications for this technology was small, no more than 13 pieces, but it showed a gradual increase trend. In 2006, it reached a small peak, and then in 2007, the number of patent applications appeared a small Fall back. The author analyzes that this is the main reason that Sichuan Yibin Silka Co., Ltd. submitted 8 patent applications in 2006 around the new pulp technology containing hemp fiber mixed composite cellulose. Between 2012 and 2016, patent applications for this technology increased year by year, especially in 2015, which doubled the number of patent applications in 2014. In recent years, with the improvement of environmental protection requirements, many companies have carried out technical improvements on the basis of previous research, and submitted some patent applications related to hemp fiber composite materials. However, due to the fact that some patent applications were not made public in 2017, the statistics may not be complete.

At present, China's research in the field of hemp fiber composite materials mainly includes Xi'an Engineering University, Zhongshan University and National University of Defense Technology. The research focus is mainly on thermosetting resin-based composite materials. After further analysis, the author knows that at present, the patent application in the field of hemp fiber mainly involves the preparation of hemp fiber, namely degumming and compound hemp fiber. Patent data shows that the patent application for IPMA (IPC classification number D01C) and the patent application for hemp fiber modification (IPC classification number D01F) are 399 and 299 respectively, of which the foreign patent applicants passed the Patent Cooperation Treaty. There are only 4 patent applications for entry into China by the (PCT) route.

Strengthening research and development in key areas

Hemp fiber modification is to treat the hemp fiber itself with other modified materials, and the main body of hemp fiber modification is hemp fiber. According to the patent data (pictured), the patent applicants for hemp fiber modification technology in China are relatively scattered, and the number of patent applications per applicant is small. Among the applicants with more than 4 patent applications, only one university of Donghua University, and only 8 patent applications, indicating that the research and development of universities has not paid special attention to this technology. In contrast, the number of patent applications in this field is much higher than that of colleges and universities, showing a high degree of research activity. Among them, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other provinces account for the vast majority, which may be related to the current textile fiber industry. It is also related to the policies of government departments, and it is also related to the development and sustainable development of green fiber technology among applicants in relevant domestic regions.

Despite the large variety of hemp fibers, a number of patent applications for hemp fiber composites have been developed based on the characteristics of different hemp fibers, as well as some hemp fibers suitable for all properties. The author has found that nearly one-third of the patent applications for hemp fiber composites (98 pieces) are applicable to all hemp fibers. Secondly, the patent applications in this field are more directed to the technology of flax and ramie. This is because the scale of linen textile in China is the first in the world. The flax fiber is thick and short, the softness is the same as cotton, and the white gloss is second to ramie. It is second only to castor in hemp crops. In addition, ramie has a large output in China, and it has the advantages of fine and long fibers, white color, silky luster, water absorption, heat dissipation and high strength. The author believes that the higher patent applications for flax and ramie match their production and textile scale in China. In addition, the number of patent applications for sisal, apocynum and jute is roughly the same, and further research and development is needed in the future.

From a technical point of view, hemp fiber modification mainly involves surface modification of hemp fiber itself and compounding with other materials. Among them, the hemp fiber composite material mainly involves 264 patent applications, accounting for 88% of the modified hemp fiber. In these patent applications, it can be seen from the two methods of compounding and modifying, mainly that the hemp fiber is blended with other fibers to form a composite material, and only 34 patent applications involve hemp fiber viscose and other viscose or additive to form a composite hemp fiber. .

It can be seen from the above analysis that the main research direction of hemp fiber modification is that hemp fiber is mixed with other fibers or materials to form a composite fiber. In addition, there are few patent applications for pure hemp fiber modification, mainly using functional materials to modify the surface of hemp fibers, for example, using graphene surface modification to obtain hemp fibers with increased strength and toughness. More is the hemp fiber composite modification patent application, the mixed fiber includes cotton, synthetic fiber or animal fiber and other arbitrary fibers, and the composite modified material includes resin, filler and the like. The applicants with the most relevant patent applications in China apply for Anhui Hefei Down Products Co., Ltd., which is a composite material for hemp fiber, mainly for down composite fibers, which involves mixing down materials with various hemp fibers and other added materials to make composite down. Materials to obtain composite down materials of antibacterial, anti-UV, anti-static and other types.

The author believes that the performance of compound hemp fiber modification is mainly reflected in antibacterial, strength, antistatic, health care and so on. Antibacterial and antistatic are the common features of hemp fiber, such as antibacterial, water absorption, moisture absorption and breathability. Health care is because hemp fiber generally contains beneficial substances such as paralytic alcohol, and different hemp fibers also contain different chemical ingredients that help health care. Through the analysis of the composition of hemp fiber, the author finds that with the deep development of hemp fiber and its health care products, China fiber will have broad market prospects.