May 28, 2019 | |
Taking the guesswork out of electrospinning(Nanowerk News) Electrospinning, a nanofiber fabrication method, can produce nanometer- to micrometer-diameter ceramic, polymer, and metallic fibers of various compositions for a wide spectrum of applications: tissue engineering, filtration, fuel cells and lithium batteries. These materials have unique properties because of their high-aspect-ratio morphology and large surface area. |
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Yet their development has largely been by trial and error, making it difficult to reproduce reliably in industrial settings. This challenge stems from a lack of understanding of the underlying dynamics during the process, which involves more than 10 control parameters. | |
Electrospun fibers have a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, which favors surface reaction applications like catalysts, and superior mechanical properties compared with their bulk counterparts, making them less subject to mechanical failure. (Image: Argonne National Laboratory) | |
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory is taking the guesswork out of electrospinning by leveraging its unique suite of capabilities to build a database that correlates electrospinning machine parameters with nanofiber properties. The suite will allow companies to design materials optimized for specific applications at top speed, while also making possible real-time feedback and control on the manufacturing floor. | |
The advanced electrospinning facility is part of Argonne’s advanced manufacturing science and engineering effort to accelerate materials development and manufacturing processes by developing platform technologies augmented with state-of-the-art computing and diagnostics systems. This combination enables predictive science that reduces costly trial-and-error prototyping. The project is funded by Argonne’s manufacturing Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program. | |
Argonne is in a unique position to advance electrospinning technology because of a combination of expertise in materials development and scaleup, along with the unique diagnostic capabilities available at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a DOE Office of Science User Facility and the nation’s highest-energy synchrotron X-ray source. | |
The researchers, led by Argonne materials scientist Yuepeng Zhang, are conducting in-situ X-ray measurements at the 12 ID-B beamline at the APS. The measurements capture real-time structural, physical and chemical information from nanofibers as they form and change during processing, facilitating correlation with processing parameters (e.g., voltage, working distance and precursor viscosity). | |
According to Zhang, “The measurements provide — for the first time — a systematic understanding of the spinning and annealing processes to control and enhance product performance.” | |
The next step is to enter the X-ray data into machine-learning algorithms that run on high-performance computing facilities at Argonne. These computations will further optimize speed, reduce material defects, predict novel properties and eliminate costly trial-and-error prototyping. | |
The electrospinning capability also can be adapted for use with roll-to-roll manufacturing processes (which involve continuous processing of a flexible substrate as it’s transferred between two moving rolls of material) to accelerate commercialization and reduce costs. Argonne is demonstrating the roll-to-roll concept and its first application by producing large-area LLZO solid-state electrolytes for energy storage applications. | |
Industry can collaborate with experts at Argonne to develop electrospinning processes for their existing materials, as well as collaborate on new or emerging (composite) materials and designs, including scaleup. | |
To collaborate on designing and scaling materials with Argonne’s electrospinning system, contact Yuepeng Zhang at [email protected]. | |
Key applications for electrospun materials: | |
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Benefits of electrospinning: | |
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Source: Argonne National Laboratory | |
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