Recent advancements in R&D and scale-up of low-cost carbon fibers at ornl

Over the past decade, ORNL has established a global reputation for its research and development on advanced carbon fiber technologies. This springs largely from ORNL's leadership in the conception, planning, and execution of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) low-cost carbon fiber (LCCF) initiative, which is focused primarily on reducing carbon fiber production cost, at same or somewhat reduced performance, for automotive applications. Interest has spread from that automotive base such that ORNL is now investigating LCCF for a range of energy applications. In 2009, DOE awarded ORNL $34.7M of capital funds to create the nation's only Carbon Fiber Technology Facility (CFTF) for the primary purpose of enabling the successful transition of advanced carbon fiber technology from the laboratory into commercial applications. This two-part paper provides (1) an overview of ORNL's in the area of lignin-based LCCF and (2) an overview of the status and capabilities of the Carbon Fiber Technology Facility.