Karbonium

The aim is to develop a continuous carbon structure that combines low weight, high strength and useful electrical and thermal properties.

Graphene and carbon nanotubes have very strong bonds at the atomic level, but transferring those properties to a large, coherent material is difficult. Weak transitions, random orientation, impurities and limited length all reduce performance.

The Karbonium concept examines how carbon nanotubes can be grown under control and joined with graphene structures. The idea is that graphene can help bind or anchor the nanotubes and improve load transfer through the material. The finished material can be gathered, drawn, spun or braided into a thread or fibre.

The production concept is based on a multi-stage PECVD process — plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Such a process uses plasma, temperature, gases, catalysts and controlled pressure to grow carbon structures on a substrate. The planned YMIR reactor may consist of several stations for substrate cleaning, catalyst application, material growth, inspection, harvesting and any spinning or post-treatment.

AI is intended to analyse and regulate process parameters such as temperature, gas mixture, pressure, plasma level, growth rate and material quality. The goal is a process that learns from each production run and becomes gradually more stable and repeatable.

If the material can be produced with predictable quality and at sufficient scale, it could find applications in lightweight, strong composites; electrically conductive fibres and components; batteries, electrodes and energy storage; sensors and flexible electronics; thermal management; hydrogen-related materials; medical technology; and aerospace. These are possible application areas, not documented product properties. Each application would require its own material testing, safety assessment and production process.

The technical development work is described in European patent publication EP4108632A1 and international publication WO2022268980A1. The documents describe an apparatus and a process for producing carbon nanotubes, graphene and combinations of these, including harvesting and spinning into thread. The publications are associated with AIDA AS and name Marius A. Jakobsen, Vitaliy Datsyuk and Michael Liehr as inventors. They are referred to as published patent documentation, not as an active, granted patent.