STTR Phase I: High-Yield Platform Process for Fabrication of Unique Nanofiber Materials

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to enable nanofiber integration in a wide variety of applications that were previously cost prohibitive. The technology will enable both the cost-efficient production of nanofibers at commercially acceptable rates, as well as the development of unique nanofiber materials with properties compatible with specific industry uses. The high-capacity batteries developed as part of this effort may give rise to advancements in the energy industry enabling electricity distribution via microgrids and solar arrays, in turn supporting energy resilience, independence, and sustainability. Further, the commercialization of this technology platform for facile nanofiber production at scale may create prospects for nanofiber use across a multitude of industries, such as: textiles for fine-mesh surgical face masks and thermal regulating clothing, remediation of water and air, tissue engineering and wound care, and defense applications such as low-weight aircraft, bulletproof uniforms, and personal protective equipment for use against chemical/biological agents.This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project develops a low cost, high-throughput process to fabricate nanofibers with unique properties, enabling their integration into a variety of end applications. Traditional DC electrospinning methods have low nanofiber production rates, preventing their widespread adoption. This project develops an alternating field electrospinning (AFES) process capable of producing a wide variety of unique nanofibers at a rate thousands of times faster than existing systems. Phase I research objectives include: the characterization of different thermal settings for AFES electrospinning and studies of the impacts on material properties, the expansion of classes of materials compatible with the AFES system, and the fabrication of materials with application-specific properties. This work will involve extensive testing and characterization of nanofibers produced under a variety of thermal process settings. The researchers will also incorporate the nanofibers into lithium ion batteries to quantify capabilities and identify optimal silicon nanofiber characteristics for the application.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.