CAREER: Processing Intrinsically Conductive Polymers for Fibers via Side-by-Side Spinning

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Intrinsically conductive polymers (ICP) are a group of organic polymers whose chemical bonds on the molecular backbone allow conduction of electricity. Their pendant groups also allow chemical modifications for special functions, so ICPs have shown potential for use in smart textiles, which have embedded electronic circuitry that enables them to interact with the wearer and respond to environmental stimuli. However, the rigid molecular structure of ICPs limits their processability into flexible fibers for textile fabrication. This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant supports research into a new wet-spinning technology to manufacture flexible conductive fibers via side-by-side co-spinning of an ICP with a conventional polymer. The project will utilize both experimental and theoretical methods to investigate the side-by-side fiber formation process and evaluate its influence on fiber properties. The research outcomes should help to control the functional fiber manufacturing process, and allow the fibers to be used to construct sensors for smart wearables, which might find broad applications in healthcare, the military, and sports. Curriculum development and outreach activities will be integrated with research to involve K-12 and college students, especially those from groups underrepresented in STEM, to cultivate their interest in textile science/engineering, and to strengthen the workforce pipeline for the textile industry, in order to improve American competitiveness in the field. The goal of the project is to develop a fundamental understanding of the process-structure-property relationships of ICP side-by-side wet spinning, especially the interactions at the interface of the ICP with the spinnable conventional polymer, including the complex fluid interaction kinetics under various spinning conditions. Different types of side-by-side spinnerets will be designed, and the effects of the spinneret geometry on fiber formation will be studied. The influence of polymer solution properties and spinning control parameters on the side-by-side fibers' mechanical, electrical, and sensing properties will also be investigated. Computational fluid dynamics modeling will be used to simulate the hydrodynamics of the solutions inside the spinneret and in the coagulation bath during wet spinning, in order to simplify and optimize the experimental design. The fundamental process-structure-property relationships obtained could be applicable to multiple polymer solution manufacturing techniques, including wet spinning, electrospinning, direct ink writing 3D printing, and microfluid spinning.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.