IRES: Nanofibrous Materials Challenge

University Of Alabama At Birmingham, Birmingham AL

Investigators

Abstract

Technical This program will provide the international research experience to a group of at least 18 U.S. students at the Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technology and Innovation at the Technical University of Liberec (CxI&TU-Liberec), Czech Republic. It is a premier institution in Central Europe heavily involved in nanofibrous materials (NFMs) research and commercialization of nanofiber electrospinning technologies. Nanofibers can demonstrate superior mechanical, optical and transport properties providing critical advantages to a variety of applications. The high surface area to volume ratio provides both a multitude of ways to interact along the fibers? length and the corresponding mechanical flexibility to bend into many different configurations at nanoscale. As a result of their nano-enabled unique properties, nanofiber-based materials have a wide range of applications in areas such as high performance filtration, energy generation, conversion and storage, wound healing and tissue engineering, and others. However, the potential for growth of the NFMs market is still hindered by limited ability to create the materials and structures with predictable complex, macroscopic architectures and desirable electronic, mechanical, and physiological properties. During the program, the IRES trainees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham will be able to participate in the operations of a largest nanofibrous materials enterprise in Europe. They will address the current challenges in nanofiber science and technology through: (I) the advancement of our basic understanding of all aspects of nanofiber properties and fabrication processes in order to direct the assembly of NFMs into desired configurations; and (II) the development of new processes for assembling NFMs networks and hierarchical architectures for demanding applications. It is expected that the outcomes of this IRES program will help to create a new generation of highly trained global workforce to significantly advance the knowledge base in NFMs. In a long-term, this IRES program will facilitate a broader synergistic coupling between domestic and international research and industrial groups within the NFMs domain by bringing new collaborators and facilitating multiple international links between the researchers and students in related areas. Non-technical The main theme of this IRES program is the emerging area of nanofibrous materials (NFMs). This large class of nanomaterials shows superior mechanical, electronic, and physiological properties that can provide critical advantages in a variety of energy, biomedical and environmental applications. The global market for NFMs is expected to rise above $4 billion by year 2017. There are currently over a hundred of companies in the NFMs business, and recent breakthroughs in NFMs are transforming many areas of science and engineering (for example, the first successful demonstration of NFM-based tissue engineered tracheal implant). However, the potential for growth of the NFMs market is still hindered by limited ability to make these materials with predictable complex, macroscopic architectures and desirable set of properties. This IRES program will provide the unique international hands-on experience in NFMs to a diverse group of U.S. undergraduate and graduate students at the Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technology and Innovation at the Technical University of Liberec (CxI&TU-Liberec), Czech Republic. It is a premier institution and a largest nanofibrous materials enterprise in Central Europe. The IRES trainees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will explore the approaches to ?green? processes that can be used for the NFMs fabrication. The major challenge here is not only obtaining right formulations, but to develop the environmentally safe and economically feasible processes that can be transferred from a simple laboratory system to commercial NFMs equipment available at the host institution. The IRES trainees will also gain important international cultural sensitivity experience expanding beyond the each participant?s institution through the social activities and interactions with a diverse international student population at CxI&TU-Liberec. IRES undergraduate participants will also broaden their vision of global perspectives for a person with Masters or PhD degree in science and engineering. By providing IRES trainees with such training via experiential international modalities, we will empower them with a comprehensive set of capabilities in strategically important technological areas.