Sagar Kanhere, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), has acquired another vital instrument to advance cutting-edge research in carbon fibers and advanced composite materials.
Kanhere won a DSC 300 Caliris Classic in a raffle held by NETZSCH Instruments North America L.L.C. The state-of-the-art thermal analysis tool, valued at approximately $40,000, is designed to accelerate innovation in polymer and composite research.
To be considered for the raffle, Kanhere submitted a short write-up detailing the work being conducted at the Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF) at Innovation South.
“This powerful thermal analysis tool will be instrumental in advancing our research on low-cost carbon fibers and polymer crosslinking kinetics, helping us unlock new possibilities in composite materials,” Kanhere said. “It will allow us to explore new frontiers in thermal analysis and composite manufacturing. I sincerely thank NETZSCH for this opportunity.”
The DSC 300 Caliris Classic will be housed at FCMF, which shares facilities with the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI). NETZSCH is a member of IACMI, whose leadership visited UT two months ago and hosted a seminar.
“Congratulations to Sagar on this acquisition,” said Uday Vaidya, UT-ONRL Governor’s Chair in Advanced Composites Manufacturing and CTO of IACMI. “We appreciate NETZSCH’s support and dedicated investments in university research and development, leading to industry-relevant projects. These investments will pay off multifold.”
Kanhere is leading research at UT on low-cost carbon fibers derived from alternative precursors such as lignin and mesophase pitch at UT. He plans to use the DSC to investigate precursor stabilization, aiming to reduce the time and cost associated with carbon fiber processing. Low-cost carbon fibers are highly sought after in the automotive, wind energy, hydrogen storage, and transportation sectors.
“We are trying to make low-cost, high-performance carbon fibers that can be used to create lightweight and energy-efficient transportation solutions, as well as explore new avenues in the aerospace industry,” Kanhere said. “To do that, you need to understand the thermal characteristics of the polymer to tailor the processing parameters that impact the cost of carbon fiber. Using this machine will be instrumental in determining the properties of carbon fiber precursor materials and, in turn, finding ways to improve processing and reduce costs.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])