The advent of nonwoven nanofibers is enabling the development of a new generation of highly sensitive filters. Surging global demand is creating a compelling need for improved production and quality control methods.

Currently, much of the industry is using old technology for process monitoring and control, yielding limited data. As a result, critical details that affect a filter’s performance are often overlooked because accurate performance data cannot be easily and quickly verified.

FIBERMETRIC YIELDS NANOFIBER DATA IN MINUTES

Without SEM imaging, it is not possible to discern the important features during nanofiber filter design. The Fibermetric software supported on the Phenom desktop SEM is the first integrated system designed for submicron fiber development. With the Fibermetric software, automated measurements of hundreds of fibers and pores are possible. Fibermetric is a turn-key system designed to discover and quantify the properties of woven and nonwoven fiber samples in minutes. Direct observation and measurement of microfibers and nanofibers is fast, more accurate, and easy.

BENEFITS

• With the Fibermetric software the user can:
• Automatically collect hundreds of measurements per image
• Generate fiber and pore size distribution plots for quality control
• Predict application properties such as filtration efficiency

Filters made from nanofibers

Nanofiber is a term referring to fibers of less than one micron. These nanofibers are polyformed into a web, often just one or two microns thick. Nanofibers are often mounted on a variety of substrates to reinforce their strength and allow large-scale manufacturing. Industry adoption is increasing. Nanofibers are so thin they only use a small amount of basic material, lowering cost compared to the kg/m² of a traditional nonwoven layer.

Nanofiber filter media is used to make a finer structure for high-performance filters for use in a wide variety of applications within the commercial, industrial, and defense industries. Filters made from nanofibers show a marked increase in filtration efficiency, with only a slight decrease in permeability, one of the key desired traits of high-performance filters.

To build a superior nanofiber filter, the design must meet the needs of long life (durability), efficiency (ability to filter out contaminates as small as a few nanometers), and uniformity. For today’s nanofiber research, many analytical techniques are needed to tell the full story.

 TAKE AWAYS

• Determining accurate nanofiber dimensions is vital to designing high-performance filters. Fiber thickness, homogeny, uniformity, and pore size are key characteristics to determine if the filter will meet demanding performance specifications.
• Traditionally, fiber diameter is checked with light microscopes, SEMs, or laser diffraction systems. Shrinking fiber diameters are making light microscopes obsolete for high-performance filtration applications.
• Fibermetric™ offers magnification up to 100,000x for accurate data on fibers as small as 100nm in diameter. Automated measurement generates statistical data in minutes. Unlike other SEM-based solutions, no laboratory infrastructure or trained microscopist’s are required.

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