M98-g8 Molecular Spinnerets for Polymeric Fibers

The objective of this work is to investigate, design, and synthesize molecular spinning machines that can be shaped in the form of membranes which can control fiber structures and produce nanofibers. Using this design entire spinning units and associated systems, which currently occupy two or three floors, can be made to fit in a small room. Fibers with custom designed structures and properties can be spun with extreme precision and very fine fibers can be spun using this technique. The energy requirements will be diminished by an order of magnitude. The drawing process can be eliminated altogether. Start up and transition time for spinning different polymers will be reduced significantly thus reducing the waste. Eventually, polymerization and spinning can be combined into a single small unit. The development of this technology can revolutionize the fiber, textile, and apparel industry. Identification and development of unique discotic molecules is the key for constructing molecular spinnerets. Using synthetic and computational tools we are developing discotics and discotic membranes. We have synthesized a candidate discotic structure already, and we are using it to build a first generation molecular spinning machines (fig 4).