NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in China

这项行动资助中佛罗里达大学的James McKee于2013年夏天在中国科学院苏州纳米技术研究所（SINANO）开展一项工程研究项目。项目名称为“自对准碳纳米管纸连续拉丝工艺”。主持会议的科学家是李庆文博士。纳米碳纸（CNT）在复合材料和其他用途方面具有许多潜在的应用，但一个关键问题是如何创造生产规模的纳米碳纸。对齐是生产纳米纸可控性能的关键，可以根据预期的应用进行定制。该项目调查了赞助机构的纳米管织物和纱线生产实践，即所使用的拉伸过程，以及如何将其应用于目前用于生产平面内对齐碳纳米管纸和纱线的溶液过滤方法。研究人员将苏州纳米技术研究所（SINANO）生产的拉伸碳纳米管纱线与该研究员所在机构生产的随机定向溶液过滤纳米纸之间的对齐程度和各向异性进行了比较。从这项研究中获得的概念模型最终将应用于目前用于生产连续排列碳纳米纸的工艺。碳纳米管纸和织物在航空航天工业中有直接的应用，可用于复合机身飞机的可修复电磁屏蔽和雷击保护方案，这代表了对当前金属网技术的巨大改进，并且可以与航空航天工业中已经众所周知的复合制造技术一起实施。这些材料减轻的重量可以提高交通运输部门的燃油效率，改善从食品价格到休闲航空旅行等各个领域的车辆性能。随着标准的、随机取向的纳米纸在导电性、阻燃性以及静态和动态机械性能方面的改进，创造连续的、均匀排列的纳米纸的能力代表了在大型航空航天和结构应用中更有效地使用纳米材料的新能力。显而易见的工业效益令人印象深刻，长期的环境影响也令人印象深刻，因为效率的提高将减少车辆排放和零件寿命。此外，将纳米纸集成到风力涡轮机中的好处可能会提高叶片寿命，雷达特征（许多风力涡轮机农场对雷达来说是半隐形的），并降低终身运行成本。EAPSI奖学金的广泛影响包括为研究员提供美国以外的第一手研究经验；介绍该地区的科学、科学政策和科学基础设施；以及对社会、文化和语言的了解。这些活动符合美国国家科学基金会的目标，即在其科学家、工程师和教育工作者的职业生涯早期培养国际合作，从而确保美国科学劳动力具有全球意识。

This action funds James McKee of the University of Central Florida to conduct a research project in Engineering during the summer of 2013 at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Suzhou Institute of Nanotechnology (SINANO) in Suzhou, China. The project title is "Processing of Continuously Drawn Yarn from Self-Aligned Carbon Nanotube Paper." The host scientist is Dr. Qingwen Li.Carbon nanopaper (CNT) possesses many potential applications in composites and other uses, but a critical issue is the creation of production-scale aligned nanopaper. The alignment is key to producing controllable properties of the nanopaper that can be tailored to the intended application. This project investigates the nanotube fabric and yarn production practices in place at the sponsor institution, namely the drawing process used, and how it can be applied to the solution-filtration methodology currently practiced to produce in-plane aligned CNT papers and yarns. The degree of alignment and anisotropy between the drawn carbon nanotube yarns produced at Suzhou Institute of Nanotechnology (SINANO) is being compared with the randomly oriented solution-filtration produced nanopaper produced at the Fellow's home institution. The conceptual model gained from this study will ultimately be applied to the current process in use to produce continuous, aligned carbon nanopaper. Carbon nanotube paper and fabric have immediate applications in the aerospace industry for repairable electromagnetic shielding and lightning strike protection schemes for composite bodied aircraft that represent a vast improvement over the current metal-mesh techniques and can implemented with the composite manufacturing techniques that are already well-known in the aerospace industry. The weight savings these materials would allow for increased fuel efficiency in the transportation sector, improving vehicle performance in sector that affects everything from food prices to leisure air travel. With the improvements to conductivity, flame resistance, and static and dynamic mechanical properties created with standard, randomly oriented nanopaper, the ability to create continuous and even aligned nanopaper represents a new ability to use nanomaterials in large aerospace and structural applications more efficiently. The obvious industrial benefits are impressive, as is the long-term environmental effect as the efficiency increase would reduce vehicle emissions and part longevity. Additionally, the benefits of the integration of the nanopaper into wind turbines could potentially improve blade longevity, radar signature (many wind turbine farms are semi-invisible to radar), and lower lifetime operating costs.Broader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce.