Nanofiber Fabric Selective Adhesive Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nanofiber yarn configurations often degrade the unique properties of carbon nanotubes due to embedding or coating with adhesives, which inhibit electrical and thermal conductivity and reduce IR radiation transparency.
Innovation Solution
A nanofiber fabric with selectively located adhesives or non-adhesive attachments, such as graphene sheets, allows for attachment to substrates while preserving the beneficial properties of nanofibers by minimizing adhesive contact and maintaining their orientation and position, even on complex surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If nanofiber yarns are embedded or coated with adhesives for attachment to substrates, then attachment strength is improved, but electrical and thermal conductivity are degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive is selectively applied only at specific locations such as junctions where nanofiber yarns intersect or contact the substrate, rather than coating the entire surface. This localized application provides sufficient attachment strength while leaving the majority of the nanofiber surface exposed to maintain electrical and thermal conductivity pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive application is divided into discrete segments or accumulations at specific points along the nanofiber yarns, particularly at junctions. This segmentation allows the fabric to be attached to the substrate at multiple discrete locations without creating continuous adhesive barriers that would block conductivity.
2Strength
If nanofiber yarns are coated with adhesives for attachment, then attachment to substrate is improved, but IR radiation transparency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Adhesive accumulations are placed only at specific locations such as yarn junctions or substrate contact points, leaving the majority of the nanofiber fabric surface free of adhesive. This preserves the IR radiation transparency of the nanofiber material while providing sufficient attachment at the localized adhesive sites.
3Strength
If adhesive accumulations are placed at junctions between nanofiber yarns, then attachment effectiveness is improved, but adhesive material usage is optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive is applied in discrete accumulations at junctions between nanofiber yarns rather than as a continuous coating. This segmentation concentrates the adhesive material at the most critical attachment points where multiple yarns intersect, maximizing attachment effectiveness while minimizing the total quantity of adhesive required.
Solution Approach 2:
The junctions between nanofiber yarns naturally serve as the attachment points to the substrate, eliminating the need for adhesive application across the entire fabric surface. The structure itself provides the attachment framework, and adhesive is only needed at these self-identified critical locations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables effective thermal, electrical, and IR radiation transmission while adhering to substrates without degrading the nanofiber properties, ensuring high conductivity and transparency.
Implementation Method 1
The adhesive enables attachment of the nanofiber fabric to an underlying substrate while the selective location of the adhesive on the fabric limits the contact area between the adhesive and the nanofiber yarns
Implementation Method 2
The twisting and/or coiling can facilitate stretching the nanofiber fabric so as to conform to a topography of a surface of an underlying substrate while enabling the nanofiber yarns to maintain their original position and orientation relative to one another
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
A fabric of nanofibers that includes an adhesive is described. The nanofibers can be twisted or both twisted and coiled prior to formation into a fabric. The adhesive can be selectively applied to or infiltrated within portions of the nanofibers comprising the nanofiber fabric. The adhesive enables connection of the nanofiber fabric to an underlying substrate, even in cases in which the underlying substrate has a three-dimensional topography, while the selective location of the adhesive on the fabric limits the contact area between the adhesive and the nanofibers of the nanofiber fabric. This limited contact area can help preserve the beneficial properties of the nanofibers (e.g., thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, infra-red (IR) radiation transparency) that otherwise might be degraded by the presence of adhesive.