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

这个小企业技术转让（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-指定为不合格纤维-并将其重新用于可持续的非织造布。不合格碳纤维占碳纤维产量的30%。这些可持续织物将根据其性能特征分为适合不同规模应用的多层。此外，该项目还将探索天然纤维和不合格碳纤维的混合，以提高可持续性。该项目的结果可以作为工业界将这些织物应用于其复合材料的基准，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以引入新的高性能材料，这些材料可用于开发医疗设备、轻型无人驾驶飞机和电子外壳，并应用于汽车、航空航天、体育和海洋工业。提出的创新，以生产非织造织物从小康-spec碳纤维是基于对它们的物理和化学性质以及它们对机械搅拌和水溶液中悬浮的响应的基础研究。这项工作的重点是分散机制的湿法工艺。该技术可导致数学模型，其可接收关于纤维性质的输入并预测将为最佳非织造织物提供分散条件的混合方案。这些模型可以通过全面、标准化的质量控制和机械测试来支持。该项目的目标是建立使用不符合规格的材料（包括修剪物和回收纤维）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。将使用不同比例和类型的合格和不合格碳纤维的混合物，并将调整模型以反映最佳操作设置。 最后，该团队将比较定制的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。该奖项反映了NSF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.