Science and technology lead "fiber": Chinese scientists make fiber materials "standing tall and standing on the ground"

Author: Sun Yizhen

Photography: Yang Pudong

On the afternoon of April 26, Zhu Meifang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and dean of the School of Materials Science at Donghua University, went to Shanghai Xingzhi Middle School to give a speech entitled "Material Science Leading the Future". She shared her experience and insights in the research of fiber materials, led the teachers and students present to appreciate the magical world of fibers, and looked forward to the future development of fiber materials.

Fiber materials: "black technology" beyond food, clothing, housing and transportation

Fiber generally refers to a material with sufficient fineness (diameter < 100μm) and sufficient aspect ratio (length/diameter > 1000), and a certain degree of flexibility. Metals, minerals, organisms, polymers, as long as they meet the above definition, can be considered fibers. "Generally speaking, the diameter of a fiber is about 100 microns, and the diameter of a girl's hair is about 80-100 microns."

A piece of clothing that can cool the human body, a fiber food that is good for human health, a glass wall that can keep warm and resist freezing... Humans' food, clothing, housing and transportation are inseparable from "hard currency" - chemical fiber materials. Today's fiber materials have long been used in the sky and on the ground, and are present in different application scenarios such as national defense and military industry, transportation, energy and environmental protection, and biomedicine, said Academician Zhu Meifang.

Where does fiber come from?

From ancient Chinese silk to the synthetic nylon 66 invented by the modern "Father of Nylon" Carothers, which pioneered the fiber industry, to today's new generation of fiber materials that have made essential breakthroughs in strength, flame retardancy, electrical properties and other properties, Academician Zhu Meifang used simple and vivid examples to narrate the development history of fiber materials, and used cases such as "carbon fiber", "aerogel" and "protective clothing" to vividly weave a technological blueprint composed of fiber materials.

my country's fiber materials have gone through the natural fiber era, conventional synthetic fiber era, differentiated fiber era, functional fiber era and the current intelligent fiber era. Scientists have been promoting my country's fiber and chemical fiber industry "from small to large" and "from weak to strong" through continuous exploration and breakthroughs.

The charm of fiber, where is it now?

In order to achieve the goal of functionalizing, comforting and intelligentizing fibers, Academician Zhu Meifang led her team to implant the concept of "hybrid materials" into the fiber world. Through innovative synthesis methods and nano-composite technology, different materials were combined into one in the microscopic world of nanometers, transforming them into new materials with controllable performance and stronger functions. They have created many new materials, such as functional fibers and textiles that can maintain excellent antibacterial effects after washing 50 times; sports and leisure fabrics that can wick away sweat and moisture, and can be upgraded and "loaded" with antibacterial and flame-retardant functions.

Faced with the world-class problem of how to add nanomaterials to polymer materials, Academician Zhu Meifang and her team, after numerous experiments, invented two technologies, sol-in-situ polymerization and in-situ redox, to prepare "low-content, high-dispersion, high-performance" antibacterial functional polyester, and also developed the integrated preparation technology of antibacterial flame-retardant functional hybrid materials. The project as a whole has been used in leading domestic chemical fiber companies such as Hengyi, Tongkun, Defulun, and Hengshen, and more than 30 types of functional products in 5 series have been widely used in clothing, home textiles, transportation, safety protection, and national defense and military industries.

The future of fiber

"my country's synthetic fiber development has lasted for 60 years, from nothing to something, from small to large. Now its output accounts for more than 70% of the world's total, but some high-performance fibers are still controlled by others. In order to realize the fiber industry from big to strong, we need to further strengthen basic research and original research, strengthen the development of high-precision and cutting-edge fibers, and expand the application areas of fibers. Nothing is difficult in the world as long as you are willing to climb!" Zhu Meifang's team has always focused on major national strategies and local economic and social development needs, and has made continuous breakthroughs in chemical fiber theory and technology through the cross-integration of fiber with nano, biology, bionics and other disciplines.

When talking about the future of fiber, Academician Zhu Meifang proposed the concept of integrated aerospace fiber and its composite materials, and also came up with a "fantastic" plan - if lunar basalt can be converted into high-performance fiber, it will be possible to "use local materials" after landing on the moon, using lunar soil as raw materials to build a lunar base. She revealed that the team has successfully prepared continuous fibers simulating lunar soil and obtained real lunar soil, which is planned to be used for the next stage of research.

Ignite the passion for scientific research and build a fiber power

"Doing down-to-earth scientific research" has always been the common goal of Academician Zhu Meifang and her team members, and it is also the "academic gene" flowing in her blood. As she said, "This is the charm of scientific research", and it is also the spiritual code of generations of Donghua Materials people who have been striving to make progress and serve the country with science and technology. For more than ten years, she has led the team to continuously find problems from actual needs in the field of hybrid material design and preparation and highly sensitive multifunctional fiber development, solve difficult problems, and founded the fiber material research journal "Advanced Fiber Materials", striving to achieve more innovative breakthroughs from "0 to 1".

Recalling the bits and pieces on the road of scientific research, Academician Zhu Meifang admitted that scientific research is not always successful. It may fail 99 times and succeed the last time. However, it cannot be said that these unsuccessful explorations are failures. It is precisely because of constant exploration every day and trying various paths that it is possible to "plant flowers intentionally but they do not bloom, and plant willows unintentionally but they grow into shades". "When you like this profession or your research work, and like to explore the unknown, it is endless fun. There is also a hint of sweetness in the bitterness in the eyes of others." Academician Zhu Meifang said with a smile.

When educating people is not yet complete, students are always the primary "material" that Academician Zhu Meifang devotes herself to developing. She inherited the discipline culture and discipline spirit created by the older generation of Donghua Materials people such as Qian Baojun, Fang Borong, and Sun Tong, taught students in accordance with their aptitude, and used her knowledge and teacher ethics to educate people wholeheartedly. Academician Zhu Meifang named her research group "Monte", which was named after the "Monte silk" prepared by the research group in the early 1990s - fine denier polypropylene fiber. This fiber is soft and dyeable, and after adding other functional ingredients, it achieves sustainable innovative development of a single achievement. "Be good at asking questions in Mengxue, and seek truth in Taiding" has become the common pursuit of the team's teachers and students.

"my country is marching towards becoming a fiber power and a science and technology power, and there are still many core technologies that are "stuck in the neck" that need to be overcome." Academician Zhu Meifang said that scientific researchers should especially have a sense of crisis, aim at the direction of struggle, and never relax. Facing the students present with a promising future, Academician Zhu Meifang encouraged them to use their interests as wings and forge ahead on the road to pursuing their dreams.