Carbon Nanotube Textile Fabrication by Programmable Self-Assembly

碳纳米管是极细的轻质纤维，具有出色的强度和电性能。 通过适当的编织技术，智能碳纳米管纺织品可以实现多功能，如传感，热调节，健康监测和嵌入式能量存储的可穿戴假肢。然而，使用现有技术将碳纳米管编织成织物面临着几个挑战，因为它们的长度短，并且倾向于聚集成随机簇。 该奖项研究碳纳米管的可编程自组装，以克服这些挑战并制造智能纺织品和织物。制造过程依赖于液体表面张力，将碳纳米管自动编织成连续的织物。更广泛地说，该项目推进了将纳米结构自组装过程转化为适用于广泛行业和产品的可扩展纳米制造技术所需的知识，从而影响国家繁荣和社会。该项目吸引初中和高中学生、妇女和少数民族参与工程、生物和艺术交叉领域的鼓舞人心的外联方案。开发了名为“纤毛的艺术与生活”的新教育模块，以展示自然灵感的纤维材料及其在设计各种纹理，图案和功能中的用途。这些教育活动将材料科学和制造业与艺术和设计联系起来，使用的例子从画笔和鸟类羽毛的物理学到工程材料的加工。本研究的目的是揭示碳纳米管（CNTs）毛细自组装成米级工程纺织品的动力学。在极小的时间和空间尺度上发生的复杂的自组装动力学控制着这种制造过程的均匀性。利用毛细管自组装的动力学，可以实现一种新的纺织品制造模式的自编织。可编程自组装可以以前所未有的精度和可重复性高产量生产CNT纺织品。该项目包括通过新的数学动力学模型研究碳纳米管自编织的动力学，并通过原位高速成像进行实验验证。研究了液体的选择、织物中残留聚合物和织造拓扑结构等工艺条件，以开发连续的卷对卷无缺陷自织造工艺。通过高度排列的碳纳米管的可编程自组装生产各种复杂的自织纺织品结构，并研究其在智能纺织品中的应用。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。

Carbon nanotubes are extremely fine, lightweight fibers having outstanding strength and electric properties. With suitable weaving technology, smart carbon nanotube textiles could enable multi-functionalities such as sensing, thermal regulation, health monitoring, and wearable prosthetics with embedded energy storage. However, weaving carbon nanotubes into fabrics using current technologies faces several challenges due to their short lengths and their tendency to aggregate into random clusters. This award studies programmable self-assembly of carbon nanotubes to overcome these challenges and fabricate smart textiles and fabrics. The fabrication process relies on liquid surface tension to autonomously weave carbon nanotubes into continuous fabrics. More broadly, the project advances the knowledge needed to transform nanostructure self-assembly processes to scalable nanomanufacturing technologies applicable to a wide range of industries and products, thus impacting national prosperity and society. The project engages middle and high school students, women and minorities in inspiring outreach programs at the intersection of engineering, biology and the arts. New education modules called The Art and Life of Cilia are developed to demonstrate a palette of nature-inspired fibrous materials and their use in designing various textures, patterns and functionalities. These education activities connect materials science and manufacturing to art and design using examples ranging from the physics of painting brushes and bird feathers to the processing of engineering materials. The objective of this study is to reveal the dynamics of capillary self-assembly of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into meter-scale engineering textiles. Complex self-assembly dynamics, which occur at extremely small time and spatial scales, govern the uniformity of this fabrication process. By exploiting the dynamics of capillary self-assembly, a new paradigm of textile manufacturing by self-weaving can be realized. Programmable self-assembly can produce CNT textiles with unprecedented precision and repeatability at high throughput. This project includes a study of the kinetics of CNTs self-weaving by new mathematical dynamics models and experimental validation by in situ high-speed imaging. The processing conditions, including the choice of liquid, the residual polymers in the textile, and the weaving topology, are studied towards developing continuous roll-to-roll defect-free self-weaving process. A variety of complex self-woven textile architectures are produced by the programmable self-assembly of highly aligned CNTs, and studied for applications in smart textiles.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.