Applied
Research &
Development

Microwave-Assisted Plasma (MAP) combined with Plasma-Assisted Methane (PAM) decomposition. Pulsed non-thermal plasma at controlled frequency and duty cycle drives CNT nucleation without bulk heating — enabling precise diameter and chirality tuning between MWCNT and SWCNT output.

Nickel-iron catalyst nanoparticles deposited on mesh anodes. Catalyst composition, particle size, and support geometry are optimised per CNT type. MWCNT and SWCNT require distinct catalyst configurations and growth conditions.

Electrostatic precipitation and membrane filtration for MWCNT/SWCNT capture. Acid washing removes residual catalyst. Final product undergoes Raman spectroscopy and TEM imaging for quality grading and specification.

PLC architecture manages plasma pulse sequencing, gas valve actuation, kiln feed rate, and thermal zone control. SCADA provides real-time process visualisation, alarm management, and historian data logging across all reactor subsystems.

100+ sensor points. Distributed edge nodes fuse optical emission spectroscopy (OES), mass flow, temperature, and pressure signals into a unified process state vector — closed-loop plasma control at <10ms latency.

Physics-based digital twin continuously updated from live sensor data. Generative surrogate models predict commercial-scale (1–5 t/day) process behaviour from lab data — with uncertainty quantification to guide physical validation priorities.

RL agent continuously explores the plasma parameter space — power, frequency, duty cycle, gas ratio — to maximise CNT yield and purity for a given feedstock. Learns from every synthesis run, improving setpoint recommendations across thousands of cycles.

Time-series anomaly detection across all rotating and plasma components. Flags failures 48–72 hours in advance — enabling scheduled intervention rather than emergency shutdown, critical for continuous commercial operations.

NIR spectroscopy + ML classifier identifies plastic/tire feedstock composition at intake. Automatically adjusts pyrolysis temperature profiles and plasma parameters to maintain consistent CNT output despite variable waste input chemistry.