Novel Carbon Fiber Synthesis Process Based on Joule Heating

Current methods for manufacturing carbon fiber rely on high temperature ovens for the stabilization/oxidation and carbonization steps, which tend to be slow and energy intensive. As such, carbon fiber composites are expensive then steel, which limits their use in costsensitive, highvolume industrial applications such as automobiles, oil and gas, and infrastructure. To reduce energy consumption and cost of carbon fiber production, we are developing a process to manufacture carbon fibers using localized insitu heating of precursor fibers, using the concepts of Joule heating phenomena. In Phase 1, we demonstrated proofofconcept results, showing that such a process can reduce overall energy consumption by 4045%. In Phase 2, we plan to demonstrate that our process can be implemented in a continuous process, while meeting cost and mechanical property requirements for automotive, oil and gas, and other applications. Keywords: carbon fiber, joule heating, carbon nanotube, stabilization, carbonization. We are developing a continuous process to manufacture carbon fibers to reduce their energy consumption and cost of production. Composites made from these carbon fibers can be used for automotive, oil and gas, chemicals, aerospace, and other applications.