(744g) Nanoparticle Alignment of Boron Nitride and Graphene Nanoplatelet through Structural Confinement in Multilayered Flexible Textiles

Multilayered polymer nanoparticle composite (PNC) containing alternating layers of different functional nanoparticles have shown potential in enhancing thermal and electrical properties. Most widely used manufacturing techniques include layer-by-layer coating, ice-templating, and filtration. This work introduces a new scalable manufacturing technique, including both forced assembly and dry-jet-wet fiber spinning processes. The rheological behaviors, such as viscosity and Tan delta values, of two different polymer/nanoparticle spinning dopes were studied for optimum layer formation. The final fiber contained layers of boron nitride (BN) and graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix with a controllable layer thickness ranging from micron to nanometer scale. With a decrease in layer thickness, both 2D materials have shown an increase in the orientation degree in the fiber axis. This layer confinement effect resulted in enhanced thermal and electrical conductivity in the fiber direction. The alternating structure also resulted in electrical insulting behavior across the fiber. This manufacturing technique has potential in other applications where multilayer structure is essential, such as flame retardant or electromagnetic shielding fabrics.