Endeavor Composites awarded NSF grant to advance sustainable carbon fiber technology
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer grant will be used to advance their innovative carbon fiber dispersion technology.
Endeavor Composites, a Knoxville-based start-up known for turning recycled carbon fiber into high-performance materials, has earned a significant new investment. Last week, the company received a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Founded by Dr. Hicham Ghossein, Endeavor Composites is an alumnus of the 2019 cohort of the Innovation Crossroads program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Since its launch, the company has been focused on reducing waste. It aims to improve sustainability in the materials manufacturing industry.
With this new Phase II funding, Endeavor Composites will continue developing its innovative carbon fiber dispersion technology. The work centers on creating nonwoven fabrics made from off-spec and recycled carbon fiber. These are materials that would normally be thrown away.
These fabrics can be used to make lightweight and durable composite products for the automotive industry and other advanced manufacturing sectors.
The NSF grant will allow Endeavor Composites to refine a method that preserves fiber length and improves orientation control. These are two key factors in producing strong composites. The company’s process supports recycled carbon fiber. It also supports hybrid fabrics that combine carbon fiber with thermoplastics like polypropylene, as well as natural and synthetic fibers such as glass, basalt, and Kevlar.
This work opens new doors for the development of hybrid reinforced composites, an area that has not been widely studied.
As part of the grant, Ghossein and his team will test the mechanical performance and consistency of these materials in a scaled-up production environment. The team will also evaluate the results and develop models that can guide the design of future composite products.
The grant is the latest in a series of milestones for the growing start-up. In 2022, Endeavor was selected to join the Greentown Go Move accelerator. They worked alongside major players like BASF and Magna to help decarbonize the transportation industry. Then in 2024, the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) officially licensed the company’s core technology—an achievement that was nearly six years in the making.
Most recently, Endeavor Composites was the recipient of the Knoxville Chamber’s Pinnacle Business Awards in the Small Business Excellence category (see teknovation.biz article).
Now, with fresh NSF support, Ghossein and his team are ready to move even further toward commercialization – to help industries shift toward stronger, more sustainable materials—without sacrificing performance or affordability.
As Endeavor Composites continues to grow, it remains a compelling example of how technology developed in East Tennessee’s national labs can lead to real-world change.
Connect with Dr. Hicham Ghossein.
Learn more about Endeavor Composites.
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