Biopolymers for Fibers, Textiles, and beyond…

Satish Kumar

School of Materials Science and Engineering

Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA 30332-0295

Email: satish.kumar@gatech.edu

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Fibers in 1900

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• Cotton

• Wool

• Silk

Fibers Today

Polyester,

Nylon,

Polypropylene,

Polyethylene

Aramids

Carbon

SiC

Others

World-wide synthetic fiber production is currently at ~100 billion lbs annually

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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…

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PEK/CNT Fibers

• Axial electrical conductivity 240 S/m

• Thermal conductivity as high as 17 W/m/K

• Density ~1.3 g/cm3

Thermally and electrically conducting polymeric fibers

Polymer, 51, 3940-3947 (2010)

Review of Scientific Instruments, 83, 016103 (2012)

Individual CNT in PAN matrix

PAN/CNT – early developments

At 10% CNT, 50 times increase in modulus at 140 oC, and 40 oC increase in Tg

5 nm

TV Sreekumar, T Liu, BG Min, H Guo, S Kumar, RH Hauge, RE Smalley, Advanced Materials, 16(1), 58 (2004). 5

Anisotropic Infra-red absorption

in PAN/SWNT fiber

300 400 500 600 700 800 900

Wavelength (nm)

Ab

so

rba

nc

e (

a. u

)

a

b

c

d

Optical Properties of Polymer/CNT Films and Fibers

(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%)

van Hove transitions in SWNT

dispersion and PVA/SWNT films

• 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

(a) (b)

Multi-functional Fibers Light weight super-paramagnetic polymeric fibers

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

PAN/CNT composite fibers with 20wt% MWNT

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0 200 400 600 800 1000

0

40

80

120

160

200

Experimental Tmax

T

ma

x (

oC

)

Electrical Current (A)

0 20 40 60 80

Voltage (V)

Estimated Tmax

∆T = 0.00017 I2 R2 = 0.966

0.5 mm

150 μA 12.8 V ∆T = 4.5 oC

Temperature trace line

0 μm 200 μm 400 μm

∆T

(oC

)

+4.0

+3.0

+2.0

+1.0

- 0.0

- 1.0

- 2.0

+4.5

X

Y

X Y

The composite fibers can

be used as active heating

materials or heating fabrics.

A.C. Chien et al., Polymer, 2014

Schematic description of fiber spinning system

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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

Messages From This Presentation [Satish Kumar]

• Possible applications of the insights/techniques/ findings/opportunities in this presentation

– 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…

• 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 Low cost - Process polymer/lignin (bi-component) low cost fibers

– B 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