GOALI: Fundamentals of Fabrication of Nanofiber Assemblies by Electrospinning

这项学术与工业联系研究项目（GOALI）的目标是继续对聚合物纳米纤维的静电纺丝进行全面的实验和理论研究，现在的重点是纳米纤维组件的制造以及它们的微观结构和性能的评估。静电纺丝是一项新兴技术，可生产直径从几微米到三纳米不等的聚合物纤维。之前由主要研究人员进行的合作研究已经推进了对单射流过程的理解，包括最近发现和分析了分层弯曲不稳定性作为生产小直径纤维的主要机制。该工艺的潜在工业应用需要进一步发展纳米纤维的放置方法和制造具有可控几何、方向和性能的纳米纤维组件的方法。这项研究将为开发强大的、工业相关的方法和设备提供必要的知识体系，这些方法和设备可以灵活地、可重复地制造具有可控几何形状和微观结构的大型纳米纤维组件。纳米纤维及其有用组件的更好的制造方法的发展将在纳米结构材料的一般领域产生相当大的影响。为了建立控制纳米纤维放置的新技术，研究任务将包括对工艺包络云区域射流密度分布的实验和理论分析。在正常条件下，可以生产出纤维取向无纺布。通过考虑射流段与自身和外场的相互作用，将探索将纳米纤维放置到受控定向和梯度组件中的机电方法。这些组件的微观结构和性能将被表征并与工艺参数相关联。该研究将与唐纳森公司、朗讯技术贝尔实验室、NIST和纽约州立大学石溪分校/布鲁克海文国家实验室密切合作。

The objective of this Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) research project is to continue the comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of electrospinning of polymer nanofibers with the emphasis now on the fabrication of nanofiber assemblies and the evaluation of their microstructure and properties. Electrospinning is an emerging technology producing polymer fibers in the diameter range from a few microns down to three nanometers. Previous collaborative research by the principal investigators has advanced the understanding of the process in a single jet regime, including a recent discovery and analysis of a hierarchical bending instability as a major mechanism of production of small diameter fibers. Potential industrial applications of the process require further development of methods of nanofiber placement and fabrication of nanofiber assemblies with controlled geometry, orientation, and properties. This research will provide a body of knowledge necessary for the development of robust, industrially relevant methods and devices for flexible and reproducible fabrication of large nanofiber assemblies with controlled geometry and microstructure. Development of better methods of fabrication of nanofibers and their useful assemblies will produce a considerable impact in the general area of nanostructured materials.In order to establish new technologies for the control of nanofiber placement, the research tasks will include experimental and theoretical analysis of the density distribution of jets in the cloud region of the process envelope. Under normal conditions, non-woven sheets with random fiber orientation are being produced. By taking into account the interactions of the segments of the jet with themselves and with the external field, electromechanical methods of placement of the nanofibers into controlled oriented and gradient assemblies will be explored. Microstructure and properties of these assemblies will be characterized and correlated with the process parameters. The research will be performed in close collaboration with the Donaldson Company, Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories, NIST, and SUNY Stony Brook/Brookhaven National Laboratory.