Porous block-copolymer carbon fibers for energy storage
This technology produces carbon fibers with a carefully engineered network of tiny, uniformly sized internal pores at two different scales (meso- and micropores) that are interconnected throughout the fiber. The fibers are made using block copolymers — special molecules that self-assemble into regular patterns — as a template that burns away during processing to leave behind a precise pore structure. The result is a carbon fiber with a much higher accessible internal surface area than conventional carbon fibers, and a more predictable, tunable pore geometry. This kind of controlled porosity is valuable in applications where surface area and transport through the fiber matter, such as energy storage electrodes, filtration membranes, or catalyst supports.
What you could build
High-surface-area carbon fiber electrodes for supercapacitors or next-generation battery anodes, sold to energy storage manufacturers and materials companies seeking higher energy density without changing cell architecture.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense and aerospace contractors in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads that use advanced carbon fiber composites, or energy storage companies supplying DoD applications.
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
- Guoliang LIU, Zhengping ZHOU
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed October 20, 2020
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20210047242A1
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.