Scale-Up of SLIP Process: Producing Nanoengineered Coatings at High Volumes to Meet Multi-Directorate Needs

O' ; Brien, K C ; Sanders, D M ; Moffitt, K C ; Marquez, R ; Spadaccini, C

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

关键词: Deposition;    54 Environmental Sciences;    Fabrication;    Targets;    Nozzles;   

DOI  :  10.2172/875943
RP-ID  :  UCRL-TR-216785
RP-ID  :  W-7405-ENG-48
RP-ID  :  875943

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

There are a variety of applications that require the use of nanoengineered surfaces for separation applications. Surfaces are commonly functionalized in order to facilitate the purification of gases and liquids. Functionalization often requires the application of a polymer to the surface. The most common means is to dissolve the polymer in a solvent and then either cast or spray it onto the surface. This traditional approach causes two severe limitations: (1) the polymer must be soluble; (2) the solvent must be removed from the final coating. The first limitation often eliminates many potential candidate polymers. The second limitation is influential on the transport and separation properties of the coating. Low levels of residual solvents can significantly degrade the ability of the coating to perform the separation process. These two issues can be overcome through the use of ''Solvent-Less vapor deposition followed by In-situ Polymerization'' (SLIP). The SLIP process was originally developed for the fabrication of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) targets. This application required the deposition of films of 100 to 200 microns in thickness onto a spherical substrate. The process consists of two evaporation chambers each containing a quantity of monomer. The precursors, monomers, are vaporized and flow though a mixing nozzle and eventually are deposited on a substrate surface. They react at the surface and form a nanoengineered polymer film. The SLIP process has been utilized to develop composite membranes for gas and liquid separation applications. Polyimide films that range in thickness from 50 to 400 nm were deposited onto a range of substrates. The SLIP process has been shown to be robust and current plans are in place to scale-up the process. This scale-up would enable the coating of flat sheets and fibers. This paper will outline the roadmap to constructing a pilot scale SLIP system in order to meet multiple programmatic needs.