SBIR Phase II: Rapid and scalable production of high-performance 3-dimensional foam cores

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to democratize the use of high-performance composites across industries, especially within all segments of the automotive sector. When produced on a large scale, a widespread adoption of composites will revolutionize automotive manufacturing, unlocking the creation of ultra-light and highly efficient vehicles. Transportation is the largest contributor to global air pollution. Currently, an estimated 150 million Americans and 9 out of 10 people in urban areas worldwide, live in areas that don't meet federal air quality standards. Reducing harmful emissions from transportation has therefore become a crucial social and techno-economical challenge. As per the Department of Energy, extensive integration of composites in light-duty vehicles - 300 kg per vehicle - could result in OEMs producing up to 50% higher efficiency gas powered vehicles and electric vehicles requiring only half the current battery capacity to achieve a target range. Such a shift would decrease the U.S. reliance on rare minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Consequently, Gencores’ scientific endeavor aims to bolster U.S. industrial resilience, fortify the nation's advanced energy sector, enhance national security, and contribute to global decarbonization efforts. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims at demonstrating transitioning a niche high-performance polymer foam into an ultra-high performance, widely available low-cost commodity material, unlocking significant processing innovation and mass manufacturing of structural composites through existing and mature high-volume molding technology. In detail, this award will demonstrate Gencores proprietary synthetic route and material structuration process enable the cost-efficient production of foams featuring tailored and outstanding thermal properties at low weight. These foams will withstand the pressures and temperatures encountered during high volume composite molding technologies, ensuring the integrity of the final 3D composite components and their production in a 90 second cycle time. The architecture of these highly structured materials will be optimized using a set of proprietary numerical design and simulation tools. Many polymers are currently confined to high-value markets because of their unconventional production methods, leading to either high manufacturing costs or limited production volumes. Gencores groundbreaking scientific advancements in synthesizing high-performance polymers offer the potential to extend to other aerospace-grade polymer varieties, transforming them into commodities. This endeavor is crucial, as material performance and accessibility are fundamental to advancements across all domains of human activity. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.