SBIR Phase I: Novel Manufacturing Process for Cost-Effective Production of Discontinuous SiC Fibers from Renewable, Organic Precursors

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to develop a cost-effective and scalable manufacturing process for producing high performance silicon carbide (SiC) fiber for use in protective polymer coatings to increase wear resistance and extend service lifetime. The outcomes of this project will include reduced environmental disruption and potential savings of billions of dollars associated with protecting valuable assets such as underground and offshore piping infrastructure. Successful completion of the proposed Phase I project will result in a commercially feasible process to manufacture SiC fiber which can increase coating wear resistance and service lifetime by at least 30 percent compared to existing additives, at a price point that enables high-volume applications. SiC fiber is expected to enable more rapid substitution away from solvent-based coatings which currently dominate the market and towards sustainable, environmentally friendly water-based solutions. Widespread adoption of SiC fiber in the $100 billion global protective coatings market will drive the creation of high-skill, high-paying jobs as companies build research and development teams tasked with developing new categories of products using the results of this research. Coatings are used to protect equipment in increasingly demanding environments; the need is for extended service lifetime to reduce total cost of ownership in critical applications. SiC fiber is not used commercially today by the global protective coatings industry in spite of observed performance benefits, because of the high cost of current manufacturing processes. The project will develop a process for manufacture of SiC fiber from renewable, inexpensive organic precursor material, converted to finished product in a single, step-wise reactor at high throughput and low cost. The SiC fiber will be discontinuous with a diameter of 5-10 microns and a length of over 30 microns, with a high purity and density, and it will be easily dispersed in water or solvent for effortless incorporation into a wide range of protective coatings.