US Startup Turns Captured CO2 into Fighter Jet-Grade Carbon Fiber

HOUSTON, TX – January 06, 2026 – A Houston-based public benefit corporation has announced a landmark manufacturing breakthrough that could simultaneously bolster American national security and combat climate change. Mars Materials, working with textile researchers at North Carolina State University (NC State), has successfully produced a high-quality raw material for carbon fiber using captured carbon dioxide.

The joint study confirmed that the company's product is a chemically identical, 'drop-in' replacement for the petroleum-derived ingredient used today, meeting the stringent quality standards required for aerospace and military-grade applications right out of the gate. The development promises to create a secure, domestic supply chain for a material critical to everything from fighter jets to next-generation energy infrastructure, all while turning captured pollution into a valuable asset.

"This result keeps a promise we made to our investors and the industry," said Aaron Fitzgerald, CEO and Co-Founder of Mars Materials, in a statement. "We proved we can make carbon fiber from the air without losing any quality... getting it right on the first try allows us to move faster. We can now focus on scaling up production to accelerate bringing manufacturing of this critical material back to the U.S."

A New Blueprint for a Critical Material

The core of the innovation lies in creating polyacrylonitrile (PAN), the essential precursor that constitutes over 96% of the world's carbon fiber. Traditionally, PAN is synthesized from oil and coal in a costly, energy-intensive process. Mars Materials has developed a novel pathway to produce its PAN precursor, named Hoigen-C, from captured CO2.

The validation was conducted by Dr. Januka Budhathoki-Uprety and her research team at NC State's prestigious Wilson College of Textiles, a key partner in The Textile Innovation Engine of North Carolina. Researchers synthesized PAN from Hoigen-C and performed analyses showing it matched the chemical structure and molecular weight of the industry's standard commercial product.

The significance of this achievement is its 'drop-in' nature. It means that carbon fiber manufacturers, who have invested billions in existing infrastructure, would not need to re-tool their factories to use the new, sustainable material. This drastically lowers the barrier to adoption.

"The chemical structure and molecular weight are similar to commercial PAN," confirmed Dr. Ericka Ford, an Associate Professor at NC State. "It is definitely a drop-in because you can add in any co-monomer that you want. For carbon fiber manufacturers looking to reduce their carbon footprint, this validates a viable pathway."

Bolstering National Security and Supply Chains

Beyond its environmental credentials, the breakthrough has profound implications for U.S. national security and industrial independence. Carbon fiber's exceptional strength-to-weight ratio makes it indispensable for the aerospace and defense sectors. It is a key component in modern fighter jets, drones, missiles, and lightweight military vehicles, where performance and fuel efficiency are paramount.

Currently, the global carbon fiber market is dominated by a few international corporations, primarily based in Japan, such as Toray Industries and Mitsubishi Chemical. This concentration creates a vulnerable supply chain for the United States, subject to geopolitical tensions and logistical disruptions. The Department of Defense has long identified the reliance on foreign sources for critical materials as a strategic risk.

By creating a viable method for domestic PAN production from a readily available feedstock like captured CO2, Mars Materials could help build a resilient, North American supply chain. This ensures the U.S. military and its industrial partners have a secure source of high-performance carbon fiber, insulated from global market volatility.

The Green Industrial Revolution in Practice

The environmental benefits of this new process are twofold. First is its potential to be carbon-negative. Traditional carbon fiber manufacturing is notoriously carbon-intensive, with some lifecycle assessments indicating that producing one kilogram of the material can generate between 22 and 30 kilograms of CO2 emissions. Mars Materials' process flips the script by using captured CO2 as a primary input, effectively sequestering the greenhouse gas into a durable, long-lasting product.

Second, the company's pathway is hydrogen cyanide-free. The conventional method of converting PAN into carbon fiber involves a high-temperature carbonization stage that releases toxic gases, including highly poisonous hydrogen cyanide (HCN). This byproduct poses significant health and safety risks and requires expensive and complex abatement systems to prevent its release into the atmosphere. Eliminating HCN from the process not only creates a safer manufacturing environment but also reduces operational complexity and cost.

This innovation serves as a powerful example of the growing carbon-tech sector, where companies are moving beyond simply capturing CO2 to actively utilizing it as a feedstock for a new generation of sustainable products.

The Uphill Battle from Lab to Market

Despite the successful validation, the journey from a lab-scale proof-of-concept to mass production is fraught with challenges. The global carbon fiber market, projected to exceed $6.5 billion by 2032, is a capital-intensive industry. Scaling up chemical manufacturing requires immense investment in plant construction, process optimization, and quality control.

Mars Materials, which previously raised a pre-seed round of $660,000 in 2022, will need to secure significant further funding to build out its production capabilities. The company's next technical hurdle involves the 'spinning' process—transforming the validated PAN precursor into continuous, high-strength fibers that can then be carbonized. The success and efficiency of this stage will be critical to proving the material's commercial viability.

Furthermore, the company must demonstrate that its product can compete on cost. The high price of PAN precursor, which can account for up to 50% of the final cost of carbon fiber, has historically limited its use to high-end applications. While a sustainable profile is a major advantage, achieving price parity with conventional methods will be key to unlocking widespread adoption in sectors like automotive and wind energy.

With the fundamental chemistry now validated, Mars Materials is shifting its focus to these engineering and commercial challenges, actively seeking the partners and funders needed to turn a groundbreaking scientific achievement into an American industrial reality.