3D-printed graphene aerogel components with engineered
This technology is a manufacturing process for creating ultralight, highly porous carbon structures—called aerogels—with precisely designed microscale geometries. It starts by preparing a graphene oxide gel, mixes it into a light-curable resin, then uses a high-resolution 3D printing technique (projection microstereolithography) to print the resin into any desired shape layer by layer. The printed object is then dried and heat-treated to burn away the polymer scaffold and convert the remaining material into a pure graphene aerogel. The result is a custom-shaped, three-dimensional carbon structure with controlled internal architecture at the microscale—something conventional aerogel manufacturing cannot achieve.
What you could build
Custom-geometry graphene aerogel components for use in thermal insulation, electromagnetic shielding, or energy storage electrodes—sold to advanced materials manufacturers, defense contractors, or battery/supercapacitor developers who need lightweight, high-performance carbon structures with tailored shapes.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense primes and aerospace suppliers in Northern Virginia or the Hampton Roads corridor with interests in lightweight shielding or thermal management materials would be natural contacts.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Marcus A. Worsley, Xiaoyu Zheng, Patrick G. Campbell, Eric Duoss, James Oakdale, Christopher Spadaccini, Ryan Hensleigh
- Granted
- January 30, 2024
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 11884002
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.