This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to identify the means to produce a material which is injection moldable, machinable upon curing, and which exhibits strength properties comparable to steel. Moreover, the cost can be an order of magnitude less than that of steel. Such a material can be created on the basis of nanofiber reinforced cement (NRC), using macro defect free cement which has been densified with small particles and reinforced with coal derived carbon nanofibers. This material can be used in markets currently occupied by specialty cement, and may also intrude in applications now occupied by steel and ceramics, such as structural reinforcement.
