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，但在生产规模上存在许多实际障碍，其环境问题引起了人们的严重关注。这些因素正在推动对可再生资源生产的纳米材料的需求不断增长，这些纳米材料也具有高度的可加工性。纤维素纳米材料代表一类有前途的材料。然而，由于其分散体所特有的科学和工程挑战，这些材料的可规模化生产尚未建立。目前，基于纤维素纳米材料的纳米复合材料薄膜的制备方法是流延法，只能生产小面积样品，质量控制有限，或者通过压制/过滤法，生产具有高密度结构缺陷的片材。这个可扩展的纳米制造（SNM）奖将研究这些薄膜和层压材料的卷对卷制造的连续铸造方法。该研究将产生足够大的面积，用于实际的真空和热成型应用的能力。突破性的技术和方法来扩大这些薄膜和层压材料的生产，大面积连续制造，以及过程控制中的新算法可以彻底改变包装和结构材料中的许多应用。工业合作伙伴对这项技术表示的兴趣证明了该项目对工业创新的潜在影响。此外，开发纤维素纳米材料薄膜和层压材料的可规模化生产将允许替代化石燃料衍生材料，从而降低环境足迹并实现更可持续的经济。纤维素纳米材料增强层压材料的可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，通过控制复杂流体流变学以实现均匀薄膜沉积的根本性进步，以及通过跨学科方法实现过程监测和控制连续卷到卷纳米制造。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下结构和材料性质之间相互作用的理解。在这个项目的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以及薄膜制造的连续过程的发展。 具体而言，将解决以下障碍：纤维素纳米材料衍生薄膜和层压材料的规模化生产，过程监测和控制，以及了解界面和微观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.