Wood-Based prepreg for downstream production of composite laminates

Unmet Need: Need for biobased prepreg

There has been a rapid growth in research and innovation in the natural fiber composites (NFCs) as part of reducing environmental impact. NFCs are renewable, lightweight, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly.  Glass/carbon fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP/CFRP) are mostly used in modern aircraft structures. Considering disadvantage of these materials such as sustainability, CO₂ emission, and recyclability, search for NFCs for aerospace industry has been initiated.

The Technology: Wood-Based Prepreg and Laminates manufactured with the prepregs

A natural fiber prepreg using wood strands has been developed for fabricating laminated composite materials by compression molding for a variety of applications including automotive interior and exterior panels.

Applications:

• Wood-strand prepregs that can be laminated into flat or profiled panels.

Advantages:

• Contributing to sustainable forest management practices through use of renewable materials for value-added products.
• Thin and flexible thermoplastic wood-strand prepregs compressed into stronger and stiffer laminates.
• Prepreg laminates are resistant to moisture uptake and are dimensionally very stable.
• 38% and 124% higher young’s modulus and strength of the wood prepregs.

Patent Information:

Provisional patent application has been filed.