Project Grant 2227649

This $600,000 National Science Foundation project grant supports research at the University of Southern California to develop new manufacturing methods for recycling post-consumer carbon fiber composite materials. The research aims to preserve the value of continuous carbon fibers and recover the polymer matrix from aircraft and other composites currently buried in landfills or subjected to pyrolysis. The project will study techniques to remanufacture recycled carbon fibers and polymer matrix into new high-value composite products. It will also apply biological imaging tools to monitor the remanufacturing process and investigate photoactivated singlet oxygen-initiated resin breakdown for selective disassembly and defect repair. The research builds knowledge in composite materials and manufacturing to complement existing expertise in synthetic chemistry. Funded under the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), the project reflects the agency's mission to improve engineering research and education quality for U.S. economic and innovation goals.