Biobased Carbon Fibers and Thermosetting Resins for Use in DOD Composites Applications

Using biological resources to make advanced fibers and high-performance thermosetting resins will help reduce the dependence of military composites on the volatile cost of petroleum, resulting in significant technological gains and reducing the toxicity of composite materials.

Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

The goal of this research was to use renewable resources derived from plants and other sources to prepare high-performance carbon fiber and thermosetting matrix resins with high strength and high thermal resistance. The scientific objectives were to 1) develop methods for breaking down, modifying, and processing renewable resources to make epoxy resins, vinyl resins, and carbon fibers, and 2) determine structure-property relationships for these novel materials.

Numerous scientific and engineering advancements were developed in this project. Bacteria can successfully decompose lignin into useable structures for the formation of small filaments that might be possible to convert into carbon fibers. Approximately 300 strains of bacteria that decompose lignin were identified, and some have the potential to make lignin into fiber-forming oligomers, including newly identified species of Serratia. However, scale-up of this process proved problematic and unfeasible for completion in this project.