E-Textiles 2021 Speakers

Vlad StolojanDr Vlad Stolojan

Senior Lecturer in Nanomaterials Characterisation, University of Surrey

Dr Vlad Stolojan is a Senior Lecturer in Nanomaterials Characterisation, at the Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey. He is part of the Nano-Electronics Centre and a member of the Institute of Physics, a fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society, part of the EPSRC Peer Review College, and a Member of the BSI’s NTI/001 Nanotechnologies committee.

Vlad is an alumnus of the University of East Anglia (BSc Physics -1996) and the University of Cambridge (Ph.D. Physics -2001 Nanochemistry of grain boundaries in iron”). He first joined the University of Surrey’s School of Engineering in 2001 as an expert in electron microscopy and energy-loss spectroscopy, continuing as an RCUK Fellow with the University of Surrey’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering department, followed by promotion to Lecturer (2012) and Senior Lecturer (2017). Vlad is an author of over 120 peer-reviewed publications and a reviewer for several journals. Vlad has led or co-investigated EPSRC projects in the manufacturing of nanomaterials. He has led over 40 research projects at all levels (BSc, MSc, EngD, and PhD). He is currently involved in research projects involving the application of electrospun nanofibres to energy generation, tissue regeneration, and sensing, as well as the growth and application of carbon nanostructures.

Vlad is also acting CTO of an electrospinning start-up company, Radical Fibres Ltd (est. 2019), which has been active (IUK funded) in face-masks, piezoelectric sensing, and eco-facemasks.

Presentation Title:

  • Nanofibres for e-textile applications

Presentation Summary:

  • Polymer nanofibres generally possess unusual properties due to their very high surface-to-volume ratios and the extreme confinement of the long molecule chains due to the short diameters, as well as the significant shear and electric fields that they are subjected to when produced through electrospinning. For example, PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) and its copolymers, widely used for their piezoelectric properties, doesn’t require typical high-shears and post-processing (electric-field) poling to increase its piezoelectric phase when produced via electrospinning. This process allows for the deposition of nanofibres directly onto flexible substrates, such as textile-printed sensors, and thus the manufacture of sensors and piezoelectric and triboelectric generators directly into textiles. Other applications include producing nanofibre filters that retain and regenerate very high static charges that are essential when trapping contaminant nanoparticles, including viruses. The last class of applications is where the polymer nanofibres act as scaffolds and carrying agents for other important nanomaterials used in sensing, energy harvesting and storage, and photonic applications.