Mars Materials, NC State Spin CO₂-Derived PAN Precursor on Commercial Equipment

Mars Materials and North Carolina State University researchers have successfully converted the company's Hoigen-C material into polymer and spun it into carbon fibre precursor fibres using standard commercial equipment. Hoigen-C is a polyacrylonitrile derived from captured industrial CO₂ emissions, positioning it as a lower-carbon feedstock for PAN-based carbon fibre precursor. The milestone's significance lies in the use of conventional commercial spinning equipment rather than bespoke laboratory apparatus, an early signal that the CO₂-derived route may be compatible with existing precursor manufacturing lines. The work was reported by JEC Group Composites News. No production volumes, fibre properties, or commercial timelines were disclosed, leaving scale-up and qualification questions open for the carbon fibre supply chain.