Michelin in link-up to advance nanofibrous materials

Paris - Michelin, the French national centre for scientific research (CNRS) and the University of Strasbourg have opened a joint laboratory dedicated to nanofibrous materials.

SpinLab will study “electrostatic spinning”, which makes it possible to manufacture nanofibrous materials in an optimised manner, said Michelin in a statement 17 April.

The process, said the French group, enables the production of materials whose fibrous structure “is no longer random but organised in three dimensions.”

The teams will work together for four years to design an innovative electrospinning platform with the objective to develop the “differentiating fibrous materials”.

The materials will have various applications linked to mobility, energy and the environment.

Traditionally, textile technologies use mechanical forces to form and deposit fibres.

Electrospinning uses electrostatic forces, wherein the fibre is formed, then strongly stretched and projected at very high speed on a substrate, helped by an intense electric field.

The process can produce continuous fibres whose diameter is 100 to 1000 times finer than human hair and assemble them in the form of a “mat”.

The mat, according to Michelin, is a non-woven textile whose random structure is similar to a cottony veil.

The project will involve two aspects: the first consisting of developing an electrospinning platform to study the physical and physio-chemical mechanisms surrounding the project.

This will make it possible to obtain multi-component nanofibrous materials whose morphology and fibrous composition are controlled.

The second objective is to develop, by electrospinning and using environmentally friendly methods, “mats” with specific characteristics for targeted applications.

A particular focus will be placed on two applications: hydrogen and zero-emission mobility as well as adhesives.

The research could ultimately find applications in other fields such as medicine, air filters, liquid filtration, or in energy segments such as fuel cell membranes and supercapacitor electrodes.

For Michelin, in particular, the structural reinforcement of such materials makes it possible to manufacture thin composites and improve their functional properties.

The French group also aims to use non-woven membranes in applications that require permeability and electrical conductivity.

SpinLab opens up "promising perspectives for creating new materials for critical use, finding applications in mobility,” said Michelin R&D director Eric-Philippe Vinesse.

At the heart of the Michelin group's ambition, Vinesse added, is to create “a manufacturer of high-added-value composites that change our daily lives.”