Electrospinning of Polymeric and Ceramic Nanofibers as Uniaxially-Aligned Arrays

Introduction Nanotechnology is the use of nanoparticles, which are particles made to a scale measured as one millionth of a millimeter. One difficulty associated with manufacturing to this scale is manufacturing nanofibers out of polymeric and ceramic materials. Another problem is finding a method to align the nanofibers in a way to develop a mesh or material from them. Technology description Our researchers have developed a method of manufacturing polymeric and ceramic nanofibers through the use of electrospinning. Once the nanofibers have been manufactured, then the process can further uniaxially align the materials in order to produce a mesh made up of the nanofibers. When the mesh is layered across another mesh layer, it can have the effect of weaving the layers for added strength. Some of the materials that have been successfully made using our procedure include organic polymers, graphite carbon, and metal oxides. Business opportunity Some of the applications possible for polymeric and ceramic nanofibers are: 1) the manufacture of strong, light materials for clothing and protective gear; 2)
microscale fiber optic materials; 3) as fillers to make composite materials of high conductivity; and 4) circuitry for nanoscale electronic devices. Stage of development Our researchers have successfully manufactured polymeric and ceramic nanofibers to a consistent size and shape in the range of 30-200 nanometers. Intellectual property position The UW is currently reviewing this technology for worldwide patent protection. For more information on this technology contact:
Introduction Nanotechnology is the use of nanoparticles, which are particles made to a scale measured as one millionth of a millimeter. One difficulty associated with manufacturing to this scale is manufacturing nanofibers out of polymeric and ceramic materials. Another problem is finding a method to align the nanofibers in a way to develop a mesh or material from them. Technology description Our researchers have developed a method of manufacturing polymeric and ceramic nanofibers through the use of electrospinning. Once the nanofibers have been manufactured, then the process can further uniaxially align the materials in order to produce a mesh made up of the nanofibers. When the mesh is layered across another mesh layer, it can have the effect of weaving the layers for added strength. Some of the materials that have been successfully made using our procedure include organic polymers, graphite carbon, and metal oxides. Business opportunity Some of the applications possible for polymeric and ceramic nanofibers are: 1) the manufacture of strong, light materials for clothing and protective gear; 2)
microscale fiber optic materials; 3) as fillers to make composite materials of high conductivity; and 4) circuitry for nanoscale electronic devices. Stage of development Our researchers have successfully manufactured polymeric and ceramic nanofibers to a consistent size and shape in the range of 30-200 nanometers. Intellectual property position The UW is currently reviewing this technology for worldwide patent protection.

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