1. business and industrial
2. chemicals industry
3. plastics and polymers

Biopolymers for Fibers, Textiles, and beyond…
Satish Kumar
School of Materials Science and Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0295
Email: [email protected]
1
Fibers in 1900
Fibers Today
• Cotton
• Wool
• Silk
Polyester,
Nylon,
Polypropylene,
Polyethylene
Aramids
Carbon
SiC
Others
World-wide synthetic fiber production is currently at ~100 billion lbs annually
2
A Low cost textile fibers containing biomaterials
B High performance PAN/CNC based carbon fibers
C Functional fibers based on polymer/CNC/nano-materials
D High surface area carbon from lignin for supercapacitor,
battery, catalysis…
3
Thermally and electrically conducting polymeric fibers
PEK/CNT Fibers
• Axial electrical conductivity
240 S/m
• Thermal conductivity as high as 17 W/m/K
• Density
~1.3 g/cm3
Polymer, 51, 3940-3947 (2010)
Review of Scientific Instruments, 83, 016103 (2012)
4
PAN/CNT – early developments
At 10% CNT, 50 times increase in modulus at 140 oC, and 40 oC increase in Tg
Individual CNT in PAN matrix
5 nm
TV Sreekumar, T Liu, BG Min, H Guo, S Kumar, RH Hauge, RE Smalley, Advanced Materials, 16(1), 58 (2004).
5
Optical Properties of Polymer/CNT Films and Fibers
van Hove transitions in SWNT
dispersion and PVA/SWNT films
Absorbance (a. u)
Anisotropic Infra-red absorption
in PAN/SWNT fiber
d
c
b
a
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Wavelength (nm)
(a)PVP/SDS/SWNT aqueous dispersion
(b)PVA/PVP/SDS/SWNT film (1 wt% SWNT)
(c) PVA/PVP/SDS/SWNT film (5 wt%)
(d)PVA/SWNT film (1 wt%)
• TV Sreekumar, T Liu, BG Min, H Guo, S Kumar, RH Hauge, RE Smalley, Advanced Materials, 16(1), 58 (2004).
• XF Zhang, T Liu, TV Sreekumar, S Kumar, VC Moore, RH Hauge, RE Smalley, Nano Lett, 3(9), 1285 (2003).
6
Multi-functional Fibers
Light weight super-paramagnetic polymeric fibers
(a)
(b)
We are processing polymeric fibers with super-paramagnetic properties and good
mechanical properties. These fibers will also have microwave absorption
capability. Potential applications: textiles, actuators, inductors etc.
Polymer, 2014
Use of CNT in Polymers for heating applications
Voltage (V)
PAN/CNT composite fibers with 20wt% MWNT
0
150 μA
12.8 V
Temperature trace line
0.5 mm
∆T (oC)
+4.5
+4.0
+3.0
+2.0
+1.0
- 0.0
- 1.0
- 2.0
X
0 μm
Y
80
40
∆T = 0.00017 I2
R2 = 0.966
0
200 μm
400 μm
80
120
Tmax (oC)
Y
60
Experimental Tmax
160
X
40
Estimated Tmax
200
∆T = 4.5 oC
20
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Electrical Current (A)
The composite fibers can
be used as active heating
materials or heating fabrics.
A.C. Chien et al., Polymer, 2014
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Schematic description of fiber spinning system
As spun fiber
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Functional Fibers
Using this approach functional fibers can also be made using other nano materials
– introducing corresponding functionality in the sheath or in the core. A different
nano material and hence a different functionality can be introduced in each
component. Fibers, with three or more components and hence correspondingly
more functionalities, can be made. These fibers can be made with diameters
down to about 50 nm.
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Opportunities
• Reduce cost of textiles and technical textile fibers by incorporating
lignin without compromising properties and potentially even enhancing
properties.
•
Polymer/CNC fibers with with enhanced properties.
• Fibers containing CNC, lignin, CNT, magnetic particles, and other
nano materials to impart added functionality…..electrical, thermal,
optical, magnetic, …..
• To use lignin to make high surface area low cost carbon for battery,
supercapacitor, and catalysis application
……We are just beginning the fibers revolution
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Messages From This Presentation
[Satish Kumar]
• Possible applications of the insights/techniques/ findings/opportunities in this
presentation
–
–
–
–
A
B
C
D
Low cost textile fibers containing biomaterials
High performance PAN/CNC based carbon fibers
Functional fibers based on polymer/CNC/nano-materials
High surface area carbon from lignin for supercapacitor, battery, catalysis…
• Barriers and challenges to success
– A Specific processing conditions for given systems and required properties.
– B Develop markets for these new materials
•
Additional research opportunities
– A
– B
Low cost - Process polymer/lignin (bi-component) low cost fibers
PAN/CNC fibers – this work is currently underway at single filament scale, and can be
scaled up to multi-filament scale
– C Specific nano materials can be used in conjunction with CNC to impart variety of
functionalities to the fiber
– D. Develop technology for making high surface area carbon from lignin – similar to what
we have done from PAN