105046Plasma based manufacture of CNT FibreClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UK"The project delivers an innovative manufacturing technique to the UK for the commercial manufacture of high performance carbon nanotube fibre. The project will demonstrate the commercial potential of the technique to produce material that aligns with the needs of national and international companies. Success will embed this technology in the UK, facilitating investment in future UK based capacity.This project represents industrial research which will enable the commercial production of high strength carbon nanotube fibre in the UK. These materials offer exceptional mechanical properties, as well as high electrical and thermal conductivity. This highly functional material has numerous uses in Automotive, Defence, Wind Energy, Aerospace, Battery, Filtration and Sports industries for applications such as electrical wiring, sensing, heat transfer and mechanical support. The IUK funding will allow the rapid development and commercialisation of the production process to meet these demands.This IUK project supports critical developments in carbon nanotube fibre manufacturing to allow increased mass production within a reactor and allows for better carbon nanotube handling. The result will be a robust and environmentally acceptable process which can be scaled to full production levels. The project is international in it's application and builds on innovation and research from grant funded work at the University of Cambridge; its successful completion will ensure that this globally important technology is anchored in the UK. Importantly, this work links carbon nanotube fibre manufacturing with the multinational industries seeking to use the materials in their innovative products. The close links between consumer and producer allow for rapid prototyping and manufacturing development for acceleration of industrial impact. Our consortium involving University of Cambridge and Q Flo Limited have strong connections with international and UK based end users. Although not part of the application, these end user companies will test materials and therefore will provide a research-to-production approach that will fast-track the manufacture of the best material by providing a feedback loop between production and testing. Manufacture of these materials will enable advancement of the critical UK strategic objective for high value, high performance production in the UK. Carbon fibre manufacturing processes generate approximately 25 te of CO2 per te of Carbon Fibre produced. The proposed CNT Fibre process, when combined with power generation from the hydrogen rich off-gas, can reduce CO2 by 80% from carbon fibre and a high value product. (ref 1) 1) Independent report, Williams Process Limited (2018)"