Applied Sciences Inc. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 20d

Description

Carbon dioxide is used as a feedstock for manufacturing graphene and other carbon nanomaterials. The innovation is the use of exothermic (heat producing) reactions that create only carbon and water as the products, while keeping the chemical reactor hot enough to sustain the reaction. An experimental program will prove that carbon dioxide contributes carbon to the synthesis of graphene via the use of nonradioactive isotopic tracers, and will also seek to show the potential for converting 100% of the carbon dioxide to solid form, so that it can be removed from the greenhouse gas cycle.Value added products include graphene, an exceptionally strong reinforcement material for plastics with unusual electronic properties. At present carbon sequestration is a secondary product, but it is envisioned that in the future this may be the most important reason to develop the CO2 to solid conversion process.