STTR Phase II: Innovative Dispersion Technology for the Sustainable Repurposing of Off-spec and Recycled Carbon Fiber into Low-cost, Defect-free, Nonwoven Fabrics

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project is the development of an innovative mixer for the dispersion of carbon fiber in the nonwoven method known as wet laid. The patented technique is used to fabricate mats for use in the production of advanced composite materials, lightweight materials characterized by high specific strength and stiffness. It has been previously shown that the technique could be used to produce high-performing nonwoven fabrics in a cost-effective, sustainable, and highly reproducible manner by incorporating material that is generally discarded, including off-spec carbon fibers and recycled carbon fibers. The company now plans to use this innovative process with an off-spec carbon-hemp, polypropylene blend to develop a sustainable and cost-efficient product line suitable for an automotive use case. The work will provide valuable insight into hybrid reinforcement of composites, a largely unstudied area. It will also provide a model for production of hybrid-reinforced composite products and a comprehensive assessment of products derived from off-spec carbon fiber and recycled carbon fiber. The development of this cost-efficient technique to produce carbon fiber advanced composites will create opportunities for several industries to incorporate these high-performance materials into a variety of products and applications. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project will develop a novel method where off-spec and recycled carbon fiber can be cost-efficiently processed into high-value materials. This technique offers a way to produce nonwoven mats with fiber length retention and tailored fiber orientation. The system can produce carbon fiber mats at various area densities and is compatible with production of hybrid fiber textiles such as mixtures of carbon fiber/thermoplastic fibers (e.g., polypropylene fibers), natural fibers, and other synthetics such as glass and basalt.