SBIR Phase I: Development of Efficient Spraying System for Staple Polymeric Nanofibers onto Nonwoven Rolled Good Manufacturing Lines

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将研究方法，有效地喷涂短聚合物纳米纤维（NF与平均。直径约400 nm）的短长度（200-700微米）的非织造织物基材上。现有的纳米纤维技术同时以低生产量生产并以非常慢的线速度（~1-30 m/min）将NF作为低基重表面涂层施加到非织造基底上。由于NF的低效率和高成本，它们在商业上仅用于过滤，声学，医疗，能源和纺织品的高端应用。通过分别生产散装NF和开发方法，有效地喷洒他们在高速率（150米/分钟）内联，NF的显着价值？可以更广泛地应用于美国非织造布制造业。主要研究目标包括开发分散用于湿法或干法喷涂的NF的方法，确定如何使用市售设备喷涂NF，以及测试喷涂的纳米纤维添加到空气过滤和声学非织造产品中的价值。预计将开发喷涂和分散NF的方法，并确定中试喷涂设备的设计要求。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力可以释放NF的高价值，通过喷涂散装，短长度聚合物纳米纤维（NF）在非织造制造工艺中以全线速度（150 m/min）在线使用市售喷涂硬件。与现有的静电纺丝和熔喷NF技术相比，NF喷涂设备将是硬件成本的一小部分。最近，一种新的变革NF闭环化学生产过程已被扩大规模，它解决了目前NF过程的根本限制？短长度NF的高通量离线生产。以全非织造线速度喷涂纳米纤维将加速现有1.76亿美元纳米纤维市场的增长率（估计每年34%）。在66亿美元的空气过滤市场中，这种新型NF喷涂技术将成为通过价值数亿美元的新改进产品提高过滤器效率和降低成本的关键。在线喷涂纳米纤维的第一个目标市场将是空气过滤和声学应用。更广泛的影响，发展无纺喷涂能力，将使美国非织造布行业更具竞争力的全球和改善北卡罗来纳州？通过创造就业来实现经济增长。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate methods to efficiently spray staple polymeric nanofibers (NFs with avg. diameter ~400 nm) of short lengths (200-700 micro-m) in wet or dry form at high rates onto rolled good nonwoven substrate manufacturing lines. Existing nanofiber technologies simultaneously produce at low throughputs and apply NFs at very slow line speeds (~1-30 m/min) as a low basis weight surface coating onto nonwoven substrates. Due to the inefficient delivery and high costs of NFs, they are commercially only used in high-end applications in filtration, acoustics, medical, energy and textiles. By separately producing bulk NFs and developing methods to efficiently spray them at high rates (150 m/min) inline, the significant value of NF?s can be more widely applied to the US nonwovens manufacturing sector. The key research objectives include developing methods to disperse NFs for wet or dry spraying, determining how to spray NFs using commercially available equipment, and testing the value that sprayed nanofibers add to air filtration and acoustic nonwoven products. It is anticipated that methods to spray and disperse NFs will be developed and pilot spraying equipment design requirements will be determined as a result of this research.The broader impact / commercial potential of this project could unleash the high value that NFs can add to nonwoven products by spraying bulk, short-length polymeric nanofibers (NFs) inline at full line speeds ( 150 m/min) in nonwoven manufacturing processes using commercially-available spraying hardware. The NF spraying equipment would be a fraction of the hardware costs compared to existing electrospinning and melt blowing NF technologies. Recently a novel transformative NF closed-loop chemical production process has been scaled up and it addresses a fundamental limitation of current NF processes ? high throughput off-line production of short length NFs. Spraying nanofibers at full nonwoven line speeds would accelerate the growth rate (estimated at 34% per year) of the existing $176 million market for nanofibers. In the $6.6 billion air filtration market, this novel NF spraying technology will be a key to improving filter efficiency and lowering costs through new improved products worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The first target markets for spraying nanofibers in-line will be for air filtration and acoustics applications. The broader impact of developing nanofiber spraying capabilities will make the US nonwoven industry more competitive worldwide and improve North Carolina?s economy through job creation.