Phonon Engineering in Electrospun Nanofiber Scaffolds for Selective Ion Sensors

PROBLEM: A fiber-mat sensor's many fiber–air interfaces scatter heat, so the mat can develop temperature gradients that shift binding equilibria differently across its area, blurring the sensor's selectivity. A reading taken from a warm patch of mat may differ from one taken from a cool patch, yet most sensor proposals treat the mat as thermally uniform. The proposal needs a thermal-transport rationale for the fiber network.

SOLUTION: IBM Cloud Ideas would host fiber-mat sensor proposals that pair the spinning recipe and fiber diameter with a phonon-interface rationale, the DFT selectivity prediction, and a calibration plan that states the temperature range. Reviewers could ask how the design handles mat-scale temperature gradients before approving a build.

EVIDENCE BASIS: DOCUMENTED — phonon engineering: thermal transport tuned by nanolayer interfaces and superlattices; DFT predicts surface-group binding; biosorption validates via batch isotherms (Langmuir/Freundlich). Source: Hohenberg–Kohn 1964; Kohn–Sham 1965.