The nonwoven fiber industry is a multi-billion dollar global industry that produces fibers for a broad spectrum of applications, such as filtration, personal hygiene and disposable medical apparel. Recent advancements in fiber production techniques have facilitated new applications for advanced fibrous materials in diverse fields, such as optoelectronics, regenerative medicine, piezoelectrics, ceramics, etc. With these advanced applications, a need exists to develop techniques to produce a wider range of fibrous materials with high performance and multifunctional capabilities. Reactive fiber spinning is a solvent-free, low-energy technique that presents an attractive alternative to melt-blowing and electrospinning for large-scale production of polymer fibers. The proposed research aims to develop a fundamental understanding of the reactive fiber spinning process by studying the interactions between various process parameters and the fundamental mechanisms that control fiber formation and properties.
Drawing inspiration from nature, the Ellison group recently developed a method for making fibers that uses light to trigger a photopolymerization reaction in nonvolatile liquid monomer mixtures that are already prevalent and commercially available in industry. Extrusion of the nonvolatile liquid monomer mixtures through a capillary at high speed is followed by the application of a drawing force and simultaneous photocuring in flight, producing solid smooth fibers with average diameters as small as 1 micron. These fibers are competitive with the smallest fibers produced by almost all commercial melt blowing lines, the most popular commercial process for manufacturing thermoplastic nonwoven fibers. The proposed research will investigate the interactions between various process and monomer mixture parameters to uncover the fundamental mechanisms that give rise to fiber formation, and control morphological variations and properties (thermal, mechanical, and structural), during reactive fiber spinning of polymer fibers. The ultimate objective is to develop a predictive and universal process operating diagram that relates curing kinetics, monomer mixture characteristics, and process related parameters.
The proposed reactive fiber spinning technique has significant potential impact related to green chemistry and sustainable manufacturing of polymer fibers. The PI proposes a strong outreach program that pairs graduate students with high-school teachers (Teaching Fellows) to jointly conduct research and develop high-school curricula. The proposed research will benefit from the teacher participants, while the teachers will become advocates of science and engineering program to K-12 students. The development of interactive modules and participation in programs, such as Explore UT and Introduce a Girl to Engineering, will enable the PI and his graduate students to engage and educate a broad cross-section of K-12 students and the general public about modern polymeric materials.
