EAGER: Exfoliated and Oriented Graphene Channel-Enabled Multifunctional Nanocomposite Fibers

在聚合物中加入石墨烯制成的复合纤维为许多材料挑战提供了解决方案，在这些挑战中，低密度和高性能要求限制了当前的应用。材料性能的理论预测显示了聚合物纳米复合材料的前景，但到目前为止，实验制造的纤维还没有证明理论预测的效率和性能水平。这一早期概念探索性研究补助金(AGER)奖支持通过制造新型复合纤维来缩小理论预测和可获得材料性能之间的差距的研究。定制的制造设备将被用来展示在细纤维中产生分层微结构的能力，并表征所得到的材料中的基本工艺-性能关系。这些复合纤维可以定制用于各种功能，包括机械减震、抗冲击、热交换、导电性、吸声、药物加载/释放和水处理。该研究为复合纤维的制备过程提供了新的知识，将促进科学进步和工业和国防需要的新材料的开发。这项研究采用了多学科方法，包括聚合物物理、力学、传热学、制造和材料科学。这种集成的方法将对工程教育产生积极的影响，并有助于吸引来自代表性不足群体的学生参与。本研究的目标是可扩展地制造具有均匀分布、连续桥接和各向异性取向的单层石墨烯通道的同轴聚合物/石墨烯复合纤维。研究小组将制造聚合物-石墨杂化结构，执行多相纤维纺丝工艺，并表征机械和热性能。将通过石墨烯通道顶层和底层分子链的相对运动来研究石墨烯的剥离和取向。研究了石墨烯的形态演化、界面相互作用以及周围高分子链的约束效应和剪切力之间的关系。该奖项支持对石墨烯形态的研究，以开发多功能纳米复合纤维，填补了关于石墨烯剥离和取向机理的知识空白(S)，这是纤维纺丝参数和材料结构的函数。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Composite fibers made by including graphene in polymers offer a solution to many materials challenges where low density and high performance requirements limit the current applications. Theoretical predictions of materials performance show promise for polymer nanocomposites, but experimentally manufactured fibers to date have not demonstrated the efficiency and performance levels of theoretical predictions. This EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award supports research to close the gap between theoretical predictions and attainable materials performance, through the fabrication of a novel type of composite fibers. A customized fabrication apparatus will be used to demonstrate the capability to produce hierarchical microstructures in thin fibers, and to characterize the fundamental processing-property relationships in the resulting materials. These composite fibers can be tailored for a variety of functions, including mechanical dampening, impact resistance, heat exchange, electrical conductivity, sound absorption, drug loading/release, and water treatments. This research contributes new knowledge to the manufacturing process of composite fibers and will promote the progress of science and the development of new materials for industry and national defense needs. The research utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach, including polymer physics, mechanics, heat transfer, manufacturing, and materials science. This integrated approach will have a positive impact on engineering education and help engage the participation of students from underrepresented groups.The objective of this research is scalable manufacturing of co-axial polymer/graphene composite fibers with a uniformly distributed, continuously bridged and anisotropically oriented single-layer graphene channel. The research team will fabricate the polymer-graphite hybrid formations, perform multi-phase fiber spinning processes, and characterize the mechanical and thermal properties. Graphene exfoliations and orientations will be studied via relative movement of molecular chains on top and bottom layers of the graphene channel. The relationship among the graphene morphology evolution, the interfacial interactions, and the constraining effects and shear forces from surrounding polymer chains will be studied. This award supports the research of graphene morphologies to develop multifunctional nanocomposite fibers, filling a knowledge gap on the mechanism(s) of graphene exfoliation and orientation as a function of fiber spinning parameters and material configurations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.