US2021355606A1PendingUtilityA1
Efficient production of nanofiber structures
Est. expiryNov 1, 2038(~12.3 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
D04H 1/728D01D 5/0007D01D 5/0076D01D 5/0069D01D 5/0061
54
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Claims
Abstract
Provided herein are electrospirming apparatuses and methods for efficient production of nanofiber structures.
Claims
exact text as granted — not AI-modifiedWe claim:
1 . An electrospinning apparatus comprising: (a) a spinning electrode; (b) a substrate that is a first distance from the spinning electrode (the substrate distance); and (c) a collecting electrode that is a second distance from the spinning electrode (the interelectrode distance), wherein the substrate is positioned between the spinning electrode and the collecting electrode and wherein the ratio of the substrate distance to the interelectrode distance is less than 0.88.
2 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the substrate distance to the interelectrode is from about 0.86 to about 0.3.
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13 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate distance to the spinning electrode is from about 180 mm to about 55 mm.
14 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the interelectrode distance is such that the electrospinning apparatus maintains an electric field of 0.2 kV/mm to 0.8 kV/mm.
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21 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a nonwoven fiber substrate, a non-porous film substrate, a membrane, paper or a porous substrate.
22 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the spinning electrode further comprises a nozzle.
23 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the spinning electrode is nozzleless.
24 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the spinning electrode comprises a rotating roller or rotating drum or wire.
25 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the collecting electrode comprises a conductive surface.
26 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 25 , wherein the collecting electrode is a flat plate, moving plate or belt, tube, wire, or rotating drum.
27 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrospinning apparatus is capable of generating a nanofiber mat having a thickness of 37 μmat at a rate of 0.35 m/min.
28 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrospinning apparatus is capable of generating a nanofiber mat having a thickness of 19 μmat at a rate of 0.98 m/min.
29 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrospinning apparatus is capable of generating a nanofiber mat having a fiber diameter of no more than 200 nm and a basis weight of at least about 1.2 gsm at line speed of at least 0.04 m/min.
30 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrospinning apparatus is capable of generating a nanofiber mat having a fiber diameter of no more than 200 nm with a productivity of above at least 0.20 g/(m-min).
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35 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrospinning apparatus is capable of generating a nanofiber mat having a fiber diameter variation of no more than 36%.
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39 . An electrospinning apparatus comprising: (a) a spinning electrode; (b) a substrate that is a first distance from the spinning electrode (the substrate distance); and (c) a collecting electrode that is a second distance from the spinning electrode (the interelectrode distance), wherein the apparatus is configured such that the substrate distance and the interelectrode distance are separately adjustable and capable of being configured such that the ratio of the substrate distance to the interelectrode distance is no greater than 0.77.
40 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 39 , wherein the substrate distance can be adjusted without adjusting the interelectrode distance.
41 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 39 , wherein the substrate distance can be adjusted using a knob, lever, button or motor.
42 . (canceled)
43 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 39 , wherein the substrate is a nonwoven fiber substrate, non-porous film substrate, or porous substrate.
44 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 39 , wherein the spinning electrode further comprises a nozzle.
45 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 39 , wherein the spinning electrode is nozzleless.
46 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 39 , wherein the spinning electrode comprises a rotating roller or rotating drum or wire.
47 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 39 , wherein the collecting electrode comprises a conductive surface.
48 . The electrospinning apparatus of claim 47 , wherein the collecting electrode is a flat plate, moving plate, tube, wire, or rotating drum.
49 . (canceled)
50 . A method for producing a nanofiber mat comprising electrospinning a polymer solution from a spinning electrode onto a substrate that is positioned between the spinning electrode and a collecting electrode, wherein the ratio of the distance between the spinning electrode and the substrate (the substrate distance) to the distance between the spinning electrode and the collecting electrode (the interelectrode distance) is less than 0.88.
51 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the ratio of the distance between the spinning electrode and the substrate (the substrate distance) to the distance between the spinning electrode and the collecting electrode (the interelectrode distance) is less than 0.9, less than 0.8, less than 0.7, less than 0.6, less than 0.5, less than 0.4 or less than 0.3.
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58 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the nanofibers are electrospun at a total applied voltage across both electrodes between 10 kV to 500 kV, 50 kV to 450 kV, 100 kV to 400 kV, 150 kV to 350 kV, or 200 kV to 300 kV.
59 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the nanofibers are electrospun in an electric field of 0.2 kV/mm to 0.8 kV/mm.
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67 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the substrate is a nonwoven fiber substrate, a non-porous film substrate, paper or a porous substrate.
68 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the electrospinning is needle-electrospinning.
69 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the electrospinning is needleless-electrospinning.
70 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the collecting electrode comprises a conductive surface.
71 . The method of claim 70 , wherein the collecting electrode is a flat plate, moving plate, tube, wire, or rotating drum.
72 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the nanofiber mat has a thickness from about 1 μm to about 500 μm.
73 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the nanofiber mat has an average fiber diameter from about 10 nm to about 1000 nm.
74 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the nanofiber mat has a maximum pore size as determined by bubble point test of no more than 500 nm.
75 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the nanofiber mat has a fiber diameter of no more than 200 nm and is produced with a productivity of above at least 0.20 g/(m-min).
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80 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the nanofiber mat has a fiber diameter of no more than 200 nm and is produced with a productivity that is at least 5% to 50% higher than it would have been under identical conditions except that the ratio of the distance between the spinning electrode and the substrate (the substrate distance) to the distance between the spinning electrode and the collecting electrode (the interelectrode distance) been 1.
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88 . The method of any one of claim 50 , wherein, wherein the nanofiber mat has a fiber diameter variation of no more than 36%.
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94 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the polymer solution comprises a polymer or a polymer blend.
95 . The method of claim 94 , wherein the polymer or polymer blend is selected from nylon-6, nylon-46, nylon-66, polyurethane (PU), polybenzimidazole, polycarbonate, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl alcohol, polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate (PEVA), PEVA/PLA, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), PMMA/tetrahydroperfluorooctylacrylate (TAN), polyethylene oxide (PEO), collagen-PEO, polystyrene (PS), polyaniline (PANI)/PEO, PANI/PS, polyvinylcarbazole, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyacrylic acid-polypyrene methanol (PAA-PM), polyamide (PA), silk/PEO, polyvinylphenol (PVP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), cellulose acetate (CA), PAA- PM/PU, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/silica, polyacrylamide (PAAm), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), polycarprolactone (PCL), poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HEMA), poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF), PVDF/PMMA, polyether imide (PEI), polyethylene glycol (PEG), poy(ferrocenyldimethylsilane) (PFDMS), Nylon6/montmorillonite (Mt), poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol), polyacrylnitrile (PAN)/TiO2, polycaprolactone (PCL)/metal, polyvinyl porrolidone, polymetha-phenylene isophthalamide, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), nylon-12, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyether sulfone (PES), polyvinyl butyral (PVB), PET/PEN, or a blend thereof.
96 . The method of any one of claim 50 , wherein the nanofiber mat is generated at a line speed of 0.03 m/min to 1 m/min.
97 . The method of claim 96 , wherein the line speed is about 0.04 m/min.
98 . The method of claim 97 , wherein the ratio of the substrate distance to the interelectrode distance is about 0.45 to about 0.55.
99 . The method of claim 98 , wherein the nanofiber mat is electrospun in an electric field of about 0.7 kV/mm.
100 . The method of claim 99 , wherein the electrospun mat has an average fiber diameter of about 100 nm to about 200 nm.
101 . The method of claim 100 , wherein the electrospun mat has a basis weight of at least about 6 to about 8 gsm.
102 . (canceled)
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104 . The method of claim 96 , wherein the line speed is about 0.1 m/min
105 . The method of claim 104 , wherein the ratio of the substrate distance to the interelectrode distance is about 0.25 to about 0.35.
106 . The method of claim 105 , wherein the nanofiber mat is electrospun in an electric field of about 0.57 kV/mm.
107 . The method of claim 106 , wherein the electrospun mat has an average fiber diameter of about 100 nm to about 200 nm.
108 . The method of claim 107 , wherein the electrospun mat has a basis weight of at least about 1.5 gsm to about 2.0 gsm.
109 . (canceled)
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111 . The method of claim 104 , wherein the ratio of the substrate distance to the interelectrode distance is about 0.45 to about 0.55.
112 . The method of claim 111 , wherein the nanofiber mat is electrospun in an electric field of about 0.7 kV/mm.
113 . The method of claim 112 , wherein the electrospun mat has an average fiber diameter of about 100 nm to about 200 nm.
114 . The method of claim 113 , wherein the electrospun mat has a basis weight of at least about 3.1 gsm to about 3.3 GSM.
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117 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the nanofiber mat has a thickness of at least 35 μm and is generated at a line speed rate of at least 0.3 m/min.
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119 . The method of any one of claim 50 , wherein the nanofiber mat has a thickness of at least 15 μm and is generated at a line speed rate of at least 0.8 m/min to at least 0.95 m/min.
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122 . The method of claim 50 , wherein the nanofiber mat has a basis weight of at least 4.5 gsm and is generated at a line speed of at least 0.35 m/min.
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125 . (canceled)Join the waitlist — get patent alerts
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