SBIR Phase II: Leveraging Z-axis Milled Fiber to Enhance the Performance, Economics and Sustainability of Carbon Fiber for High-Volume Applications

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is the development of a high-performance, economic, and sustainable carbon fiber material and associated processing technology for consumer electronics, aircraft interiors, and mass market automobiles. In current processes, roughly 30% of carbon fiber is typically scrapped during manufacturing. By 2024, an estimated 50,000 metric tons of virgin carbon fiber will be scrapped and disposed in landfills. The proposed technology will extract value from scrapped fiber and prevent disposal, offering up to 25% cost reduction compared with carbon fiber products commercially available today. This technology creates higher usage and new opportunities for this advanced material. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will support the development of a high-performance composite that utilizes low-cost and sustainable milled carbon fiber. An industrial roll-to-roll production process will be used to compound virgin carbon fiber with milled fiber. These reclaimed fibers are oriented in the Z-axis using a proprietary technology adapted from an industrial process originally developed to make thermoset products. The proposed project will develop a market-ready thermoplastic product with dense Z-axis reinforcement while retaining key in-plane properties. This new thermoplastic product will be targeted towards translation to high-volume consumer electronics, aircraft interiors, and automotive applications. 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.