US plans to use carbon fiber composite materials to solve energy problems

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced the launch of its Energy Materials Network (EMN), a $40 million program that will focus on addressing the major barriers to the widespread commercialization of clean energy technologies: designing, testing and manufacturing advanced materials. . The US Department of Energy believes that this project will open the "Global Clean Energy Competition for American Entrepreneurs and Manufacturers."

Franklin, vice president of the Department of Energy, pointed out: "The use of better materials to manufacture clean energy products has the potential to revolutionize the entire energy industry, but only a small percentage of laboratory research materials are currently being marketed. By combining US manufacturing technologies and discovering new materials. The academic leadership and the special role of the US Department of Energy's National Laboratory, the Energy Materials Network can revolutionize the field of commercial clean energy materials."

As part of the EMN, the US Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy provided funding to establish collaborative research and development projects in four industries and academia. One of them is LightMat. Led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the team will design professional alloys and carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites to improve the efficiency of automotive fuels, which can be mass produced.

The LightMat network consists of three team of experts, including technical experts, technology transfer/agreement experts, and data experts from national laboratories—including Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

David Danielson, deputy director of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of the Department of Energy, said: "With the Energy Materials Network, National Laboratories and their partners will develop and apply advanced new materials research tools that will greatly accelerate the discovery of clean energy materials. This may be the way to accelerate the creation of a wide range of clean energy technologies through innovation to reduce costs."

EMN may not be the only recent Department of Energy program that may affect the composites industry. The Department of Energy also announced the launch of SuperTruck II, a $80 million program for research, development and promotion of long-haul truck technology. The use of composite materials is the best way to increase the aerodynamic efficiency of large trucks. To learn more about truck applications for green composite panels, check out "The Next Step for Green Composites: Truck Panels."