Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber is a high strength-to-weight material with multiple advanced energy applications, including the following: 

• Flexible supercapacitors, high-performance electrodes, and flywheels for energy storage
• Wind turbine blades
• Automotive and aerospace vehicles to decrease fuel consumption
• High-pressure storage containers for alternative fuels, e.g., hydrogen and compressed natural gas
• Solar cell structural components

Carbon fiber is currently made with inputs such as petroleum, and the development of coal-based carbon fiber is still in its early stage. Our partners from the Laramie-based Western Research Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are researching new cost and process-efficient approaches for manufacturing carbon fiber from coal.

Graphene

Graphene can be used to conduct heat and electricity. This material is one million times thinner than a piece of paper and can be engineered to be stronger than a diamond. Its advanced energy applications include making solar cells thinner and lighter; enhancing the transfer and storage of energy and data by moving electrons more quickly and efficiently; and potentially enabling hydrogen cells.

Graphene is notably used to create carbon nanotubes. In turn, carbon nanotubes can be utilized in a variety of chemical, mechanical, and electronic applications. The material can be used to create more cost-efficient fuel cells, clean up oil spills because they are highly absorbent, increase battery life for electric vehicles, and fabricate quantum dots.

The U.S. graphene market is expected to experience rapid growth. Advances in coal-to-graphene research can lower production costs by up to 700 percent, creating an incentive for graphene-based manufacturing.