TERNAfil (Aachen, Germany), a spin-off of the RWTH Aachen Institute of Textile Technology (ITA, Germany), took third place at the Hightech.NRW Demo Day in early June 2026 for its MAXCarbon carbon-ceramic hybrid fiber technology. Mona Neubaur, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister for Science, congratulated the team and presented the group with £4,000 in prize money.
MAXCarbon combines the strength of carbon fiber with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials. As described on TERNAfil’s website, the fiber is produced by converting standard carbon fibers through a surface reaction at 1250°C, forming a MAX-phase hybrid layer — a Ti₃SiC₂ ceramic coating — around the carbon fiber core. TERNAfil describes MAX phases as a family of layered ceramics that combine the stiffness and heat resistance typical of ceramics with the toughness and electrical conductivity more commonly associated with metals. The company states the resulting hybrid fiber retains the light weight and flexibility of carbon fiber while gaining chemical resistance, high-temperature stability and electrical conductivity.
MAXCarbon originates from several years of research by the founding team at RWTH Aachen University, and is currently being advanced through the EXIST Research Transfer Program — funded by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and the European Social Fund Plus — to reach market readiness. Target applications include aerospace, energy and security technology; TERNAfil’s website also lists high-temperature industrial applications such as heat exchangers, turbine components and thermal protection systems among its intended use cases.
