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US 2017/0327377 A1Published application
Fabrication and application of nanofiber ribbons and sheets and twisted and non-twisted nanofiber yarns
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsMei Zhang, Shaoli Fang, Ray H. Baughman, Anvar A. Zakhidov, Kenneth Ross Atkinson, Ali E. Aliev, Sergey Li, Chris Williams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A nanofiber forest on a substrate can be patterned to produce a patterned assembly of nanofibers that can be drawn to form nanofiber sheets, ribbons, or yarns.
Claims30
1-469. (canceled)
A process for producing a nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn, the process comprising:
- (a) synthesizing a nanofiber forest on a substrate, wherein the nanofiber forest comprises a substantially parallel array of nanofibers;
- (b) patterning the array of nanofibers to produce a patterned assembly of nanofibers by patterned deposition of a catalyst on the substrate, cutting patterns in the nanofiber forest, or combinations thereof, wherein the patterned assembly of nanofibers comprises neighboring strips of nanofiber forests that are parallel and separated by regions defined by at least one of:
- (i) substantially no nanofibers;
- (ii) nanofibers of different type;
- (iii) nanofibers of a different height (iv) nanofibers on a different coating;
- (v) nanofibers of a different chemical treatment and (vi) combinations thereof;
- and
- (c) drawing said nanofibers from the nanofiber forest to form a primary assembly that is the nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn.
5 more elements
A process for producing a nanofiber yarn, the process comprising:
- (a) synthesizing a nanofiber forest on a substrate, wherein the nanofiber forest comprises a substantially parallel array of nanofibers;
- (b) patterning the array of nanofibers to produce a patterned assembly of nanofibers by patterned deposition of a catalyst on the substrate, cutting patterns in the nanofiber forest, or combinations thereof;
- (c) stripping the nanofiber forest from the substrate to form a nanofiber forest layer;
- (d) stacking the nanofiber forest layer upon at least one separate nanofiber forest layer to provide a stack of nanofiber forest layers;
- (g) drawing said nanofibers the stack of nanofiber forest layers;
- and
- spinning the nanofiber yarn from the array of nanofiber forest layers.
4 more elements
(canceled)
A process for producing a nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn, the process comprising
- (a) synthesizing a nanofiber forest on a substrate, wherein the nanofiber forest comprises a substantially parallel array of nanofibers;
- (b) patterning the array of nanofibers to produce a patterned assembly of nanofibers by patterned deposition of a catalyst on the substrate, cutting patterns in the nanofiber forest, or combinations thereof;
- (c) derivatizing an end region of the nanofibers to join nanofibers in neighboring nanofiber forests at least approximately end-to-end;
- and
- (d) drawing said nanofibers from the nanofiber forest to form a primary assembly that is the nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn.
2 more elements
A process for producing a nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn, the process comprising:
- (a) synthesizing a nanofiber forest on a substrate, wherein the nanofiber forest comprises a substantially parallel array of nanofibers;
- (b) patterning the array of nanofibers to produce a patterned assembly of nanofibers by patterned deposition of a catalyst on the substrate, cutting patterns in the nanofiber forest, or combinations thereof;
- (c) forming a binding aid at the interface between an array of nanofiber forest layers;
- (d) conducting an initial nanofiber draw;
- and
- (e) drawing said nanofibers from the nanofiber forest to form a primary assembly that is the nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn.
3 more elements
(canceled)
A process for producing a nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn, the process comprising:
- (a) synthesizing a nanofiber forest on a substrate, wherein the nanofiber forest comprises a substantially parallel array of nanofibers;
- (b) patterning the array of nanofibers to produce a patterned assembly of nanofibers by patterned deposition of a catalyst on the substrate, cutting patterns in the nanofiber forest, or combinations thereof;
- (c) drawing said nanofibers from the nanofiber forest to form a primary assembly that is the nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn;
- (d) the patterned assembly of nanofibers is on a moving substrate;
- and
- (e) the patterning provides parallel nanofiber strips that are oriented along a direction of substrate motion.
3 more elements
A process for producing a nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn, the process comprising:
- (a) synthesizing a nanofiber forest on a substrate, wherein the nanofiber forest comprises a substantially parallel array of nanofibers,
- (b) patterning the array of nanofibers to produce a patterned assembly of nanofibers by patterned deposition of a catalyst on the substrate, cutting patterns in the nanofiber forest, or combinations thereof;
- and
- (c) drawing said nanofibers from the nanofiber forest to form a primary assembly that is the nanofiber sheet, ribbon, or yarn, wherein the primary assembly is obtained by
- (i) fabricating a sheet comprising nanofibers in which the nanofibers are predominately oriented in one direction by applying an orientation field to a nanofiber dispersion in a fluid and subsequently removing the fluid, and
- (ii) drawing said nanofibers from the sheet.
3 more elements
(canceled)
A process of spinning a material comprising nanofibers, the process comprising:
- (a) arranging nanofibers in aligned arrays of patterned assemblies of nanofibers, the aligned arrays having a degree of inter-fiber connectivity within the array to provide a primary assembly;
- (b) drawing said nanofibers as ribbon or sheet from the primary assembly without the occurrence of substantial twisting;
- and
- (c) wrapping or otherwise depositing said ribbon or sheet on a substrate;
- (d) spinning the ribbon, wherein
- (i) the primary assembly is a patterned assembly of nanofibers, and
- (ii) a width of the spun ribbon is dependent on a width of the patterned assemblies of nanofibers.
4 more elements
495-496. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.