The SMART Carbon Working Group is developing environmentally friendly carbon nanotube materials
With metal production accounting for 40% of all industrial greenhouse gas emissions and 10% of global energy consumption, researchers are exploring carbon-based materials as potential alternatives to traditional metals.
Led by Rice University’s Geoff Wehmeyer, the Sustainability Institute’s Sustainable Manufacturing, Applications, Resilient Infrastructures, and Building Technologies based on Carbon (SMART Carbon) Working Group is developing novel materials using carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a cylindrical molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in a lattice structure.
“We’re focused on this class of materials because it has potential to displace the metals without sacrificing engineering performance, and in some cases actually improving the engineering performance,” Wehmeyer said.
Previous research from working group member Matteo Pasquali and collaborators has shown that macroscopic materials made from CNTs are similar to metals in durability and electrical conductivity, while also being flexible and lightweight. Ongoing working group collaborations also suggest that the life-cycle emissions associated with production of CNTs and CNT-based materials can be lower than the emissions associated with production of certain metals.
In collaboration with the Carbon Hub and Rice Advanced Materials Institute, the working group is researching CNT production and characterization, transforming CNTs into textile and metallic substitutes, and creating large-scale structures with the material.
Wehmeyer is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Rice University. His work focuses on developing thermal devices and studying thermal properties of materials in aerospace, semiconductor, and energy applications.
The SMART Carbon Working Group also includes A.J. Hartsook Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry and Materials Science and Nanoengineering Matteo Pasquali, Trustee Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering Karen Lozano, Baker Institute Energy Fellow Michelle Foss, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Vanessa Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Larissa Novelino, and Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Daniel Preston.
The working group's research focuses on three areas: creating CNTs from hydrocarbon feedstocks, developing materials from CNTs, and using those materials to design devices and structures.
The SMART Carbon Working Group brings together researchers from chemistry, physics, engineering, architecture, and public policy to advance research on sustainable carbon materials.
“This work is very interdisciplinary, and I think it benefits a lot from the flexibility of the working group and the encouragement to be thinking not just about the engineering challenges, but across boundaries,” Wehmeyer said.
Last year, several working group members collaborated on a sustainability-focused project that demonstrated recycling of CNT fibers, without having to separate the materials by molecular weights or CNT type.
Beyond material production and recycling, working group members are exploring practical applications for CNTs across industries, from advanced textiles to architectural structures. Working group member Vanessa Sanchez explores using CNTs to create high-performance textiles. The resulting material enables integrated sensing and thermoregulation, and can be applied to soft robotics. Additional research explores the development of lightweight sculptures and architectural structures using CNT materials.
The working group is also researching the science of production for CNTs, to gain insight on how best to scale the material.
“A lot of the push is on making the material better, understanding the energy and sustainability aspects, and exploring new markets to increase volumes and reduce costs,” Wehmeyer said.
Wehmeyer said that the SMART Carbon working group is at the inception of CNT technologies.
“We’re working together with industries and making sure that we are answering the early stage questions that will help the companies later produce and use the CNT materials,” Wehmeyer said.
Looking ahead, the SMART Carbon Working Group aims to continue evaluating the technoeconomic aspects of production while strengthening collaborations that could support the development and broader adoption of sustainable carbon-based materials.