MSE Seminar: “Electrospinning: A Material Fabrication Technique for Addressing Africa’s Challenges”

Details

Samuel Chigome, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering
The Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation

Abstract:

Electrospinning has the unique ability to produce continuous nanofibers from a wide range of materials in various fibrous assemblies. Due to their ability to form a highly porous mesh, their large surface-to-volume ratio and the ease of their fabrication, electrospun nanofibers have found applications in the development of products for a wide range of sectors. The relatively high production rate and simplicity of the electrospinning setup make electrospinning highly attractive to both academia and industry. Therefore, electrospinning is seen as a material fabrication technique that can contribute significantly to addressing the major challenges that Africa is facing. 

The presentation will give an overview of the progress made in the use of electrospinning to address Africa’s challenges in the areas of health, energy and water. This will include the presenter’s experience of electrospinning in Africa over the past 12 years, the central role that the Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI) and the African Materials Research Society (AMRS) are playing to promote the use of electrospinning in Africa.