Surforce纳米膜

The evolution of fiber fineness is the embodiment of human exploration and progress in materials science, and it is also one of the important signs of the development of human civilization. Today, we will look back at the development of fiber.

* Natural fiber

In ancient times, human life was closely related to fiber，As early humans evolved from ape-like ancestors, they came down from the trees, began to walk upright and lost their fur. But without fur, our ancestors would have been exposed to the elements. They would have needed clothing for protection.^【1】50,000 to 100,000 years ago, with the degradation of body hair, humans began to use natural clothing such as hides, bark and grass leaves to cover the body and keep warm. In 2640 BC, traces of the use of silk were found in China, flax as early as the Neolithic Age has been used in Central Europe, it can be said that as a natural fiber widely used hemp, cotton, silk, wool, etc., in BC has been applied worldwide. At this time, the fiber fineness is about 40-90μm.

*Chemical fiber

Artificial fibre‌

The invention of artificial fiber marked a new stage in human cognition and utilization of fiber materials, and it was initially called "artistic silk". Rayon is characterized by its softness and luster, low production cost and easy dyeing, so it is often used as a substitute for silk, velvet and linen. The industrial-scale production of rayon in 1891 marked the beginning of the industrialization^【2】 of chemical fibers.

Synthetic fibers ‌

In the 1930s, chemists began to explore synthetic materials, and humans were gradually able to produce more durable, lightweight, and easy to maintain fiber materials, such as nylon, polyester, and polypropylene. In the 1940s, during World War II, a large number of synthetic fibers were used to make military uniforms, parachutes, tents and other supplies. Since the 1950s, synthetic fibers have developed rapidly, and their application fields have expanded from traditional textile and clothing to construction, automotive, aerospace, medical and other fields, at this time, the diameter of the fiber is between 20-50μm.

Microfiber ^[3]

With the pursuit of ultra-fine fiber, microfibers of different specifications have been successfully developed in the late 20th century, and the fiber diameter can reach 1-5μm. The ultra-fine fiber diameter makes the bending stiffness small and the fiber feel particularly soft; The specific surface area of the microfiber is very large, so the coverage, fluffiness and warmth of the fiber fabric are significantly improved, and the large specific surface area makes the fiber contact with dust or oil more times, which has a strong cleaning function. If the microfiber ^[3] is made into a super-high-density fabric, the space between the fibers is between the diameter of the water drop and the diameter of the water vapor droplet, then the ultra-fine fabric will have a waterproof and steam permeable effect.

nanofiber

With the invention of fiber preparation technology, scientists can prepare materials with fiber fineness reaching nanometer level through electrospinning technology ^[4]. The preparation method of this nanofilm product mimics baby silk spinning, and countless nanoscale fibers are stacked crisscrossily on a plane to form nanofilms with a porosity of up to 90%* or more. In a broad sense, the diameter of the fiber below 1μm can be called nanofibers, nanofibers have many characteristics, such as high porosity, large specific surface area, high aspect ratio, high surface energy and activity, and some special nanomaterial properties, such as electrical, magnetic, optical and other characteristics. It can provide industrial customers with diverse nano products in industrial, energy, medical, aviation, beauty, military and other Fields.

.

However, the high technical barriers to the production of nanofibers are an indisputable fact in the industry. Through in-depth research in the field of electrospinning nanofibers, Surface Energy has successfully solved the "jam neck" technology for the industrial production of nanofibers, and achieved macro and stable production of nanofibers, and passed market verification. Surforce nanofiber membrane technology is mature, stable production capacity, broad market, using nanofiber as the basic platform, and constantly research and development of higher-end advanced energy materials, biomedical materials, advanced structures and composite materials, metamaterials.

Conclusion:

50,000 to 100,000 years ago, when our ancestors first put on animal skins and leaves to cover the body and keep warm, they must not have thought that future generations of clothing materials innovation can surpass natural creation; When silk was used to make textiles 5,000 years ago, our ancestors never dreamed that future generations would find the key to the evolution of nanomaterial structures.

From the use of natural fibers to the invention of man-made fibers, to the development of synthetic fibers and the realization of nanofiber mass production, we believe that the cutting-edge new materials represented by nanofiber materials are playing an important role in the fields of industry, energy, medical, electronics, textiles, aerospace, beauty and other fields with unique structure and excellent characteristics, and become the cornerstone of human creation of a better life.

【1】https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/when-did-humans-start-wearing-clothes

【2】https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B7%A5%E6%A5%AD%E5%8C%96

【3】https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B6%85%E7%BB%86%E7%BA%A4%E7%BB%B4

【4】https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%9D%9C%E9%9B%BB%E7%B4%A1%E7%B5%B2

Disclaimers: Some content of this article comes from the Internet, if there is infringement, please contact to delete

* Data from Lerune's lab