Bimodal Nanofiber Mats with Controlled Microstructures for Size-Sensitive Nanoparticle Filtration/Separation and Superhydrophobic Drag Reduction

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The research objective of this project is to develop an innovative nano-manufacturing technique to create new porous materials with improved functionalities. These materials will consist of polymer nanofiber layers with bimodal diameters ranging from 50 to 1000 nanometers. The fiber diameters and orientation will be controlled to enhance specific material functionality and the design will be guided using advanced computational methods. The transformational functionality of these nanofibrous materials makes them attractive for applications such as nanoparticle filtration in comfortably-breathable, size-sensitive face masks and respirators, as well as high-efficiency industrial and residential air filters, and low-cost superhydrophobic self-cleaning surfaces. The project combines experimental nano-manufacturing of nanofiber materials and numerical simulations to design and optimize structural parameters such as fiber diameters, mass fraction of each component, and fiber orientations. Successful completion of this research will lead to transformational advances towards manufacturing new porous materials with significantly enhanced performance. In particular, outcomes of this research will create new nano-manufacturing methodologies that can be used to produce a new class of engineered fibrous materials with minimum resistance, i.e., pressure drop, against fluid flows, leading to significant energy cost savings. The project will include participation from under-represented minority students and local high school students. A new technical elective undergraduate course entitled "Aerosols and In-door Air Engineering" will be offered to Mechanical and Chemical Engineering students at VCU.