STTR Phase I: Innovative dispersion technology for the sustainable repurposing of off-spec and recycled carbon fiber into low-cost, defect-free, nonwoven fabrics

这个小企业技术转移（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响是拦截垃圾填埋场的碳纤维-被指定为非规格纤维-并将其重新利用为可持续的非织造布。不合规格的碳纤维占碳纤维产量的30%。这些可持续发展的织物将根据其性能特征分为适合不同应用规模的多层。此外，该项目将探索天然纤维和非规格碳纤维的杂交，以提高可持续性。这个项目的结果可以作为一个基准，为工业采用这些织物的复合材料，以创造更轻、排放更低的汽车。由所得织物制成的先进复合材料可能会引入新的高性能材料，可用于开发医疗设备，轻型无人飞机和电子外壳，应用于汽车，航空航天，体育和海洋工业等领域。提出的利用非规格碳纤维生产非织造布的创新是基于对其物理和化学性质及其在水溶液中机械搅拌和悬浮的反应的基础研究。这项工作的重点是湿法工艺的分散机制。这项技术可能会产生一个数学模型，该模型可以接收有关纤维特性的输入，并预测混合状态，从而为最佳非织造布提供分散条件。这样的模型可以支持彻底的，标准化的，质量控制和机械测试。该项目的目标是建立使用非规格材料（包括饰边和回收纤维）制造垫子的工艺，并优化由混合碳纤维层的不同组合制成的垫子的操作。将使用不同分数百分比和类型的符合和不符合规格的碳纤维的混合物，并且将调整模型以反映最佳操作设置。最后，该团队将比较定制混合材料碳纤维垫与仅使用碳纤维生产的碳纤维垫的性能，以扩大产品应用范围。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知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Broader impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to intercepting landfill-destined carbon fiber – designated as off-spec fibers - and repurpose it into sustainable nonwoven fabrics. Off-spec carbon fiber constitutes 30% of carbon fiber production. These sustainable fabrics will be categorized based on their performance characteristics into multiple tiers that are suitable for different scales of applications. In addition, this project will explore the hybridization of natural fiber and off-spec carbon fiber for increased sustainability. The results of this project may serve as a baseline for industry to adopt these fabrics into their composites to create lighter automotive vehicles with lower emissions. The advanced composites made from the resulting fabrics may introduce new, high-performance materials that can be used for the development of medical devices, lightweight unmanned aircrafts, and electronic enclosures with applications in the automotive, aerospace, sporting, and marine industries, and beyond.The proposed innovation to produce nonwoven fabrics from off-spec carbon fiber is based on the fundamental studies of their physical and chemical properties and their responses to mechanical agitation and suspension in an aqueous solutions. This effort focuses on dispersing mechanisms for the wet laid process. This technology may lead to a mathematical model that can receive inputs about fibers properties and predict a mixing regime that will provide dispersion conditions for an optimal nonwoven fabric. Such models can be supported with thorough, standardized, quality control and mechanical testing. This project objectives are to establish process to fabricate mats using off-spec materials, including trims, and recycled fibers and to optimize operations for mats made from different combinations of blended carbon fiber tiers. Mixtures of different fractional percentages and types of on- and off-spec carbon fibers will be used, and models will be adjusted to reflect optimal operational settings. Finally, the team will compare the performance of tailored mixed-material carbon fiber mats against those produced using only carbon fibers to expand products applications.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.