Project Background
Our path towards decarbonized transportation industry must be traveled by decarbonized vehicles. Today, structural components of vehicles are mostly made of metal (e.g., aluminum, steel). Fiber reinforced composite materials are promising lightweight alternatives to metal but their deployment in the automotive industry is hampered by high materials and manufacturing cost. To this end, we propose to develop and demonstrate the circularity of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials used as vehicle doors and battery casings, enabled by recyclable-by-design thermoset resins sourced from waste plastics additives, to achieve the goal of decarbonizing lightweight vehicle structures.
Student Role
To develop a low-cost resin based on phthalate epoxy-anhydride chemistry exhibiting low viscosity (< 500 cP @25 °C), fast cure time, adequate mechanical strength and stiffness, and compatibility with LCM processing for vehicle shell applications. This is a hands-on experimental research in materials science.
Student Learning Outcomes and Benefits
Composite material development, characterization, and recycling is a highly skilled process that requires a well-trained workforce for the future industry of automobile, sports equipment, and medical devices (e.g., prosthetics) that will benefit from recyclable composite materials. Therefore, it is critical to train the workforce during the project and prepare them for the commercialization of the proposed technology. As such, the project plans to hire and train eight graduate students, >10 undergraduate students, and one postdoc researcher. During the project, they will develop the necessary skills and acquire critical knowledge for further technology development. Meanwhile, they will have the opportunity to work with our industry and national lab partners.
Chen Wang
We are vibrant polymer materials and polymer chemistry group. We have established a systematic training platform ("work control") to train students in the field of wet-lab chemistry, polymer synthesis and processing, and machining. We have weekly group meetings in which students are in rotating roles of running the meetings. I also run 1:1 meetings with students on regular basis.