STTR PHASE I: HIGH-STRENGTH LOW-COST FIBER VIA MULTI-COMPONENT NANOFIBER (MCN) SPINNING

这个小型企业技术转移研究（STTR）第一阶段项目将采用多组分纳米纤维纺丝方法，利用最新的“海上岛屿”纺丝技术和创新的纺丝工艺参数和聚合物组合，开发出高强度、高模量的聚合物“复合纤维”。该项目的目标是实现一种“复合纤维”，其中纳米级纤维（直径约100纳米）驻留在增强基质中。由于它们的小尺寸和分子取向，纳米纤维的强度将接近聚合物的理论强度。由此产生的新型复合纤维将与目前市场上的其他高性能纤维相媲美，但成本要低得多。另外，复合纤维的基体可以是加工温度较低的热塑性塑料，使后续加工能够熔化基体并形成复合材料和结构。这项技术更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是可以分阶段商业化的新型复合纤维：首先作为易于销售的工业级纤维；然后作为坚固的结构弹道/结构纤维；然后作为纤维和基体已经紧密结合的复合材料系统（即分别为岛屿和海洋聚合物）。最初，复合纤维将在不需要广泛测试和应用开发的市场上作为工业尼龙、聚酯等的替代品进行销售；如绳索、绳索、网、织带、轮胎绳等。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project will employ a multi-component nanofiber spinning approach to develop a high-strength and high-modulus polymeric "composite fiber", using the latest available "islands-in-sea" spinning technology and innovative spinning process parameters and polymer combinations. The goal of this project is to achieve a "composite fiber" wherein nano-scale fibers (~100nanometers in diameter) reside in a reinforcing matrix. Due to their small size and molecular orientation, the nano-fibers will exhibit strengths approaching the theoretical strength of the constituent polymer. The resulting new composite fiber will be comparable to other high performance fibers on the market today, but will cost significantly less. Additionally, the matrix of the composite fiber may be a thermoplastic of lower processing temperature, enabling subsequent processing to melt the matrix and form composite materials and structures. The broader impact/commercial potential from this technology will be new composite fiber that can be commercialized in stages: first as an easy-to-sell industrial grade fiber; then as strong structural ballistic/structural fiber; and then as a composite material system with fiber and matrix already intimately interfaced (i.e. island and sea polymers, respectively). Initially composite fiber will be marketed as a replacement for industrial nylon, polyester, etc., in markets that don't require extensive testing and application development; e.g. cordage, ropes, nets, webbing, tire-cord, etc.