RUI: Multi-Scale Analysis of Catalytically Grown Carbon Nanofibers and Bulk Components

纳米材料是一种先进的材料，至少有一个尺寸低于100纳米，或约千分之一的人类头发的宽度。研究最广泛的纳米材料是基于碳的，因为这些材料有潜力通过允许更强，更轻的结构，更有效的计算和先进的医疗应用来改变社会。缺点是它们通常需要专门的处理，这很难经济地扩大规模。必须进行关键的转变，将其理论潜力转化为现实世界的表现。该奖项使基础研究能够有效地生产完全由碳纳米纤维制成的散装组件的新工艺。这种高度通用的材料有可能通过在交通、能源、环境和医学领域的应用而广泛影响社会和经济。这项研究将使用多尺度分析来了解纤维是如何形成的（纳米级），它们如何相互作用（微观尺度）以及它们如何共同作为一个整体组件（宏观尺度）。这些不同的主题需要多学科的方法来全面统一纳米材料科学，化学工程和先进制造。该项目将在专业和教育层面吸引这些不同的群体，并展示为多学科工作场所培养科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）学生的重要性。直接合成完全由碳纳米纤维组成的块体组分为纳米级碳的应用创造了独立的实施方案。碳纳米纤维在含碳气体在合适的催化剂上分解期间形成。催化剂被放置在一个受约束的环境（模具）中，纳米纤维在生长过程中填充该环境。在充分生长后，纤维形成高度缠结的松散组分，其具有机械坚固性。有许多因素可以改变三维纤维收集的性质，本研究的目的是了解从催化剂处的纤维形成到本体中的纤维相互作用的控制因素。一个重要的理解纤维生长使用低成本，散装催化剂将获得独特的控制组成和微观结构，通过机械合金化。在动力学、形态学和纤维生长对约束的长期响应方面，将为这种全新的工艺建立基础度量。本体性质也将被确定为这些结构特征的函数。这种多尺度方法对于精确耦合处理、属性和性能至关重要。

Nanomaterials are advanced materials which have at least one dimension below 100 nanometers, or about one one-thousandth the width of a human hair. The most widely studied nanomaterials are based on carbon, as these materials have the potential to transform society by allowing stronger, lighter structures, more efficient computing and advanced medical applications. The drawback is that they often require specialized processing which is difficult to scale up economically. A critical transition must be made to convert their theoretical potential into real-world performance. This award enables fundamental research into a new process which efficiently produces bulk components made entirely of carbon nanofibers. This highly versatile material has the potential to broadly impact society and the economy by enabling applications in transportation, energy, environmental and medical disciplines. This research will use multi-scale analysis to understand how the fibers form (nanoscale), how they interact (microscale) and how they behave collectively as a bulk component (macroscale). Such diverse topics require a multi-disciplinary approach to holistically unite nanoscale materials science, chemical engineering and advanced manufacturing. The project will engage these diverse groups at the professional and educational levels and demonstrate the importance of preparing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students for a multi-disciplinary workplace. The direct synthesis of bulk components comprised entirely of carbon nanofibers creates a stand-alone embodiment for the application of nanoscale carbon. Carbon nanofibers are formed during the decomposition of a carbon-containing gas over a suitable catalyst. The catalyst is placed within a constrained environment (a mold), which the nanofibers fill during growth. After sufficient growth, the fibers form a highly entangled, bulk component which is mechanically robust. There are many factors which can alter the properties of the three-dimensional fiber collection, and the objective of this research is to understand the governing factors from fiber formation at the catalyst to fiber interaction in the bulk. An important understanding of fiber growth using low-cost, bulk catalysts will be attained by uniquely controlling composition and microstructure through mechanical alloying. Foundational metrics will be established for this brand-new process in the areas of kinetics, morphology and long-range response of fiber growth to constraint. The bulk properties will also be identified as a function of those structural characteristics. This multi-scale approach is critical to accurately couple processing, properties and performance.