Enabling the Fabrication and Characterization of Nanofibers and their Transformation into Inexpensive, High Performance Artificial Muscles and Mechanical Energy Harvesters
Abstract
Enabling the Fabrication and Characterization of Nanofibers and their Transformation into Inexpensive, High Performance Artificial Muscles and Mechanical Energy HarvestersRay H. Baughman (PI# FY2022 DUPIP Proposal)Abstract (publicly releasable)Program Officer: Dr. Thomas McKenna, ONR Department Code 341We request funds to support equipment purchases for a proposed ONR program on electrochemical artificial muscle and mechanical energy harvester yarns. We presently fabricate these yarns by drawing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from expensively produced carbon nanotube forests, and inserting twist to convert the forest-drawn CNTs into twisted, coiled, or pliedyarns. While we have obtained record performance as both CNT-based muscles and harvesters, the CNTs yarns are presently too expensive to produce for most applications, or even 100-gram-scale applications demonstrations. Also, we believe that we can obtain even higher performance if we extend our investigations to other nanoscale diameterfibers that have the high needed strength and gravimetric capacitances. To prepare other nanofiber yarn materials for these applications, we propose the purchase of an electrospinning apparatus having the needed state-of-art capabilities. These electrospun precursor nanofiber yarns must be transformed into the requiredhighly electronically conducting yarns. For characterizing and optimizing this transformation, we propose the purchase of a Raman microscope to importantly complement the other analytical capabilities that are presently available in our laboratories. We have longexperience in exploiting the analytical capabilities of a Raman microscope, since the DURIP PI purchased one 20 years ago when he became a professor (which is now too old to repair). This Raman microscope will also enable our characterization of the radially dependent processes that are important for actuation and mechanical energy harvesting. In addition, we will make a radically new type ofyarn in the proposed program, where the radial dependence of yarn bias angle is engineered to maximize either muscle or harvester performance, and the Raman microscope will enable our experimental measurement of this radial dependence of bias angle, well as the radial dependence of the processes that enable actuation and mechanical energy harvesting.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 12, 2023
- Source ID
- N000142312183
Entities
People
- Ray H. Baughman
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Texas at Dallas