SNM: Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing of Films and Laminates Based on Cellulose Nanomaterials

虽然纳米复合材料的潜在应用激发了许多研究，但在生产放大方面存在许多实际障碍，其环境问题也引起了人们的极大关注。这些因素正在推动对由可再生资源生产的纳米材料的日益增长的需求，这些资源也是高度可加工的。纤维素纳米材料代表了一类很有前途的材料。然而，由于其分散体特有的科学和工程挑战，这些材料的可规模化制造尚未建立。目前，基于纤维素纳米材料的纳米复合膜的制备方法有两种，一种是只能制备小面积样品的铸膜法，其质量控制有限；另一种是通过压滤法制备结构缺陷密度较高的片材。这一可伸缩纳米制造(SNM)奖将研究这些薄膜和层压板的卷到卷制造的连续铸造方法。这项研究将产生足够大的面积来生产实际真空和热成形应用的能力。扩大这些薄膜和层压板生产规模的突破性技术和方法、大面积连续制造以及过程控制中的新算法将使包装和结构材料的许多应用发生革命性变化。工业合作伙伴对这项技术表示的兴趣证明了该项目在工业创新方面的潜在影响。此外，发展可规模生产的纤维素纳米材料薄膜和层压材料将允许替代化石燃料衍生材料，从而减少环境足迹，并导致更可持续的经济。纤维素纳米材料增强层压材料的规模化生产将得到可持续和环保的表面改性和颗粒分散方法的支持，通过控制复杂流体的流变性以实现均匀薄膜沉积的基本进展，以及在连续滚转纳米制造过程中进行过程监测和控制的跨学科方法。对纤维素纳米材料-聚合物界面的多尺度建模和工艺优化将加深我们对不同长度尺度上结构和材料性能之间相互作用的理解。在本项目过程中开发的模拟工具和计算模型将广泛适用于其他类型的纳米复合材料的开发以及薄膜制造的连续工艺。具体地说，将解决以下障碍：可扩展的纤维素纳米材料衍生薄膜和层压板的生产，工艺监测和控制，以及了解界面和微结构对薄膜加工和机械性能的影响。

While the potential applications of nanocomposites have stimulated much research, many practical barriers exist in production scale-up, and their environmental issues have raised significant concerns. These factors are driving a growing demand for nanomaterials that are produced from renewable sources that are also highly processable. Cellulose nanomaterials represent one promising class of materials. However, the scalable manufacture of these materials has yet to be established, due to scientific and engineering challenges that are unique to their dispersions. At present, cellulose nanomaterials based nanocomposite films are prepared by casting methods that can only produce small-area samples with limited quality control, or by press/filtration methods that produce sheets with a high density of structural defects. This Scalable NanoManufacturing (SNM) award will study continuous casting methods for the roll-to-roll fabrication of these films and laminates. The research will result in a capability of producing sufficiently large areas for practical vacuum- and thermo-forming applications. Breakthrough technologies and approaches to scaling up production of these films and laminates, large area continuous manufacturing, and new algorithms in process control can revolutionize many applications in packaging and structural materials. The interest expressed by industrial partners in this technology attest to the potential impact of the project in industrial innovation. Moreover developing scalable production of cellulose nanomaterial films and laminates will allow replacement of fossil fuel-derived materials, thus lowering environmental footprint and lead to a more sustainable economy. The scalable production of cellulose nanomaterial enhanced laminate materials will be supported by sustainable and eco-friendly approaches for surface modification and particle dispersion, by fundamental advances in controlling the rheology of complex fluids for uniform film deposition, and by a cross-disciplinary approach toward process monitoring and control during continuous roll-to-toll nanomanufacturing. Multi-scale modeling of cellulose nanomaterial-polymer interfaces and process optimization will deepen our understanding of the interplay between structure and materials properties at different length scales. The simulation tools and computational models developed in the course of this project will be widely applicable to the development of other types of nanocomposites as well as continuous processes for film manufacturing. Specifically, the following barriers will be addressed: scalable production of cellulose nanomaterial-derived films and laminates, process monitoring and control, and understanding the effect of interfaces and microstructures on film processing and mechanical properties.