RU2727941C2 - Device and method of producing nanofibres - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: natural and chemical threads and fibres; spinning.SUBSTANCE: raw material in the form of tablets (resin) supplied to hopper 2 is supplied and melted in heating cylinder 3 heated by heater 4 and sent to front part of heating cylinder 3 by screw 5 rotated by motor 6. Heating cylinder 3 is equipped with head part 7, and high pressure gas is released from gas outlet hole 71 provided in centre of head part 7. Molten resin sent to the end of heating cylinder 3 is released from hole 73 for release of resin having six superfine tubes provided on the outlet side of hole 73 for release of resin through the inside of head part 7. Molten resin released from the resin outlet hole 73 is elongated and can form a fibre having a diameter in nanoscale.EFFECT: group of inventions relates to a device and a method of producing nanofibres by a high-efficiency melt blowing method.9 cl, 11 dwg

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing nanofibers that are capable of providing high quality nanofibers in a simple structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]

In recent years, the demand for nanofibers has rapidly increased in line with the expansion of the use of a fiber having a diameter in the nanoscale, namely nanofibers. In line with the increasing use of nanofibers, a need has arisen for a special nanofiber that is of high quality and suitable for the purpose. As for the method for manufacturing nanofibers, conventional methods such as electrospinning method, melt blowing method and the like are known, and each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.

[0003]

Patent Document 1 as the aforementioned prior art of the present invention discloses a method of manufacturing a nonwoven fabric composed of a plurality of fibers, which is made by mixing a fiber obtained by discharging a solution with a fiber obtained by melt blowing. Specifically, by using a dope spinning unit that extracts dope discharged from the liquid outlet part with gas discharged from the gas outlet part, the fiber obtained by discharging the dope is added to the melt blown fiber stream supplied from the nozzle with using the melt blowing method.

[0004]

In addition, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing nanofibers using an electrospinning method. The conventional electrospinning method for making nanofibers requires a solvent to swell the resin, however, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration for preventing flash and explosion caused by the use of solvent by blowing with heat without using a solvent. Additionally, this document describes in detail the disadvantages of the method of manufacturing nanofibers using the combined blowing method.

DESCRIPTION OF PREVIOUS TECHNOLOGY

PATENT LITERATURE

[0005]

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unchecked Patent Application No. 2010-185153

NON-PATENT LITERATURE

[0006]

Non-patent document 1: WEB-Journal No. 151 Nonwoven Fabric Extra Issue (http://www.webj.co.jp/index.html)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0007]

As described in the aforementioned Non-Patent Document 1, when the fiber diameter is reduced in the nanofiber manufacturing method of the conventional melt blowing method, it is contemplated to apply a high temperature and high velocity air discharge method and a polymer discharge suppression method. When the high temperature air is discharged at a high speed, the fiber diameter decreases, but the fiber length is shortened and it breaks. On the other hand, when the release of polymer is suppressed, the productivity per unit of time is greatly reduced. Accordingly, it is difficult for any method to achieve mass production of a nanofiber having good quality. In the electrospinning process, however, the productivity has been improved, the apparatus has become complicated, countermeasures are required to prevent flash and explosion, and the production cost has become high.

[0008]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for manufacturing nanofibers which are capable of producing a large amount of nanofibers having good quality in a melt blown nanofiber manufacturing method, and also have an increased safety level due to elimination of the factor of flash and explosion.

PROBLEM SOLVERS

[0009]

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing nanofibers comprising a liquid feed discharging unit for discharging liquid feedstock into a high pressure gas stream discharged from a high pressure gas discharge unit, in which a plurality of feedstock liquid discharge units are provided around the high pressure gas flow discharged from high pressure gas release unit.

[0010]

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing nanofibers, in which a liquid raw material discharge unit comprises an extrusion unit for melting and extruding a raw material.

[0011]

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing nanofibers, in which a liquid raw material discharge unit comprises a unit for supplying dissolved raw materials.

[0012]

According to the present invention, there is provided a nanofiber manufacturing apparatus in which a high-pressure gas discharge unit is provided with a gas supply unit for supplying high-temperature and high-pressure gas, and the high-pressure gas discharge unit discharges at high temperature under high pressure.

[0013]

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing nanofibers comprising an angle adjusting unit capable of adjusting a mounting angle of a feedstock liquid discharge unit into a high pressure gas flow discharged from a high pressure gas discharge unit.

[0014]

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing nanofibers, in which at least two or more liquid raw material discharge units are symmetrically arranged at the high pressure gas discharge unit.

[0015]

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing nanofibers in which liquid feed units are uniformly disposed around a high pressure gas stream discharged from a high pressure gas discharge unit.

[0016]

According to the present invention, there is provided a nanofiber manufacturing apparatus in which a high-pressure gas stream discharged from a high-pressure gas discharge unit is discharged in a vertical direction relative to a seating surface of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus.

[0017]

In accordance with the present invention, there is proposed a method for manufacturing nanofibers by discharging liquid raw material from a liquid raw material outlet into a high pressure gas stream discharged from a high pressure gas outlet, in which the angle of the liquid raw material discharging from the liquid raw material outlet to a high pressure gas stream is adjusted when a plurality of feedstock liquid discharge units provided around the high pressure gas stream discharged from the high pressure gas discharge unit discharge the feed liquid.

[0018]

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing nanofibers using a nanofiber manufacturing apparatus comprising a heating cylinder that feeds raw materials, a heating unit for heating a heating cylinder, and an extrusion unit for extruding raw materials contained in a heating cylinder, in which the end of the heating cylinder provided with a gas outlet for discharging high pressure gas, a plurality of raw material discharging units for discharging raw materials in a molten state in the heating cylinder are provided around the gas outlet openings, the raw materials supplied to the heating cylinder are melted or maintained in a molten state by heating the heating cylinder by the heating unit, the raw material is discharged from the raw material outlet by using the extrusion unit, the air flow is generated by the gas discharged from the gas outlet, and the fiber having the nano-diameter diameter is obtained by lengthening the discharged raw material by the air flow of discharged gas at the periphery.

EFFECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0019]

According to the present invention, a nanofiber having a smaller diameter and good quality can be produced in a safe manner. In addition, when a nanofiber is manufactured, it is not necessary to use a device using a high voltage, and the problem of a decrease in productivity, which is a disadvantage of the melt blowing method, can be solved by providing a plurality of resin discharge units.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020]

Fig. 1 is a partial sectional side view showing the entire structure of Embodiment 1 of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view showing the head and the heating cylinder of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a front view showing the end of a head portion of a nanofiber manufacturing apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus shown in Fig. 3 taken along the line A-A.

Fig. 5 shows cross-sectional views of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus illustrated in Fig. 4 taken along lines B-B, C-C and D-D, respectively.

6 is an explanatory diagram showing a resin flow and a gas flow at the head of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing (a) one example of a supporting structure of a resin discharging unit and (b) another example of a supporting structure of a resin discharging unit of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

8 is a side view showing the entire structure of Embodiment 2 of a nanofiber manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a top view showing the entire structure of Embodiment 2 of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a front view showing the structure of the head portion of Embodiment 2 of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a basic concept of an apparatus and method for manufacturing nanofibers according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED IMPLEMENTS

[0021]

One preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail. It goes without saying that the present invention can be easily applied to a structure other than the described embodiments of the present invention, within the scope of the present invention.

[0022]

In accordance with the present invention, a nanofiber is formed by feeding a liquid feedstock into a fluid (preferably a gaseous fluid) discharged under high pressure. In this description, the term "GAS" without specifying its composition means gases of any composition and molecular structure. Additionally, in this description, the term "raw material" means all materials that can be used to form nanofibers. In the embodiments described later, explanation will be given for an example using synthetic resin as a "raw material", but the present invention is not limited to this, and various kinds of material can be used. The term "liquid feed" as used herein does not limit the properties of the material to liquid, and includes "molten feed" applicable to Embodiment 1 forming nanofibers by melting and extruding solid feed from an extrusion unit. In addition, the term "liquid feed" in this specification also includes "dissolved feed" applicable to Embodiment 2, which forms a nanofiber by previously dissolving a solid or liquid feed in a predetermined solvent so that a predetermined concentration can be obtained, and feeding using a suitable means and tapping or extruding from the outlets. The "liquid feed" of the present invention needs a property such as sufficient viscosity to supply (discharge) "feed" from the feed holes (discharge holes, outlets), and a "feed" having such a liquid property is described as a "liquid feed" in the present invention.

[0023]

While a detailed description will now be given, the basic concept of the present invention is common to the apparatus and method for manufacturing nanofibers explained as Embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 11, it is configured to provide at the center of the block 71 of the high pressure gas discharge, as well as changes in the setting angle of the plurality of discharge units 73a that are disposed around the high pressure gas stream 90 discharged from the high pressure gas discharge unit 71. In other words, the angle θ of the feed liquid feed to the high pressure gas stream 90 is variable. The basic concept of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, is that the discharge unit 73a for discharging the liquid feed is disposed at a supply angle θ to the center line 91 of the high pressure gas stream 90, and the liquid feed is discharged / supplied from a plurality of discharge units 73a towards the center line 91 of the high pressure gas stream 90. The liquid feed discharged / supplied from the plurality of discharge units 73a is preferably supplied so that all of these streams intersect at the center line 91.

[0024]

In Fig. 11, the arrangement conditions of each component are as described above, and the positional relationship is as follows. Based on the position of the gas outlet (nozzle) of the high pressure gas outlet 71, “distance a” is the distance from the gas outlet to the outlet 73a, “distance b” is the distance from the gas outlet to the point where the flows intersect of the raw material discharged from the outlet unit 73a, “distance c” is the diameter of the gas outlet, and “distance d "is distance between the gas outlet holes.

Herein, the discharge unit 73a for discharging the liquid feed is disposed at a supply angle θ to the centerline 91 of the high pressure gas stream 90. The feed angle θ is obtained from the following Equation (1)

tan θ = d / (b-a) (1).

The feed angle θ is adjustable within 0 ° <θ <90 °. For example, when “distance a” is 30 mm, “distance c” is 2 mm, “distance d” is 7 mm, and the pressure of the high pressure discharged gas is about 0.15 MPa, the angle θ is preferably 20 ° plus / minus 10 °.

[0025]

The feed angle θ should be determined by the “distance a”, “distance b” and “distance d” between the gas outlet holes, and, in addition, should be determined by the ratio of the diameter “c” distance of the high pressure gas outlet, pressure and temperature of the high gas outlet pressure.

[0026]

According to the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus and method of Embodiment 1 of the present invention, the pellet-shaped raw material (resin) entering the hopper is fed and melted in a heating cylinder heated by a heater, and is directed to the front of the heating cylinder by a screw driven by a motor. The heating cylinder is equipped with a head, and high pressure gas is discharged from a gas outlet provided in the center of the head. Liquid molten raw material (molten resin) directed to the end of the heating cylinder is supplied (supplied) from a supply unit (discharge unit) of liquid molten raw material (molten resin) having a plurality of ultra-thin tubes provided in the outlet side of the gas discharge unit through the inside of the head ... A plurality of ultra-thin tubes of liquid molten raw material discharge units are provided evenly around a gas discharge port provided in the center. Thus, the molten resin discharged from the liquid molten raw material discharge units is elongated, and a fiber having a thickness in the nano range can be obtained.

[0027]

According to the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus and method of Embodiment 2 of the present invention, high-pressure gas is discharged from a gas outlet provided in the center, and a raw material dissolved in a liquid is discharged from a plurality of ultra-thin tubes of liquid-dissolved raw material discharging units provided at the outlet side of the unit discharging units. release of raw materials dissolved in liquid.

Embodiment 1

[0028]

Next, the entire structure of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1-3.

[0029]

An apparatus 1 for manufacturing nanofibers shown in Fig. 1, in accordance with an embodiment 1 of the present invention, comprises a hopper 2, a heating cylinder 3, a heater 4 as a heating unit, a screw 5 as an extrusion unit, a motor 6 as a drive unit, and cylindrical head 7. Hopper 2 feeds resin (granular synthetic resin in the form of fine particles) serving as a material for nanofibers to the device 1 for producing nanofibers. The heating cylinder 3 heats and melts the resin coming from the hopper 2. The heater heats the heating cylinder from the outside. The screw 5 is rotationally fixed in the heating cylinder 3 and moves the molten resin to the end of the heating cylinder 3 due to its rotation. The motor 6 rotates the auger 5 by means of a connecting block 61 (not shown in detail), and the head 7 is provided at the end of the heating cylinder 3. The nanofiber making apparatus 1 further comprises a gas outlet 71 (nozzle) for discharging hot gaseous air from the central region, and also described below, a resin discharge unit internally for discharging molten resin at the periphery of the gas discharge port 71 (nozzle). High pressure gas is supplied to the head 7 through a pipe 81 connected to the gas pipeline unit 8 as a gas supply pipe for discharging gas from the central region. The gas pipeline unit 8 is provided with a heating unit such as a heater or the like. (not shown), and hot air is discharged from the gas discharge unit 71 (nozzle). The head part 7 and the heating cylinder 3 are connected by means of a sealing part 9 of an O-ring-shaped and toroid-shaped sheet-metal member, thereby preventing the molten resin from flowing out.

[0030]

The temperature of the plurality of heaters 4 located around the outer circumference of the heating cylinder 3, all at once or separately, is controlled by a control unit (not shown). According to this embodiment, four heaters 4 are provided as shown in Fig. 1, but this is not limitation, the number of heaters, the size of each heater and their arrangement can be changed according to the material and properties of the resin used, as well as the diameter and length. heating cylinder 3.

[0031]

Fig. 2 is a top view, and Fig. 3 is a front view of a nanofiber manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. 4 to 6 are explanatory diagrams showing the structure of the head 7.

[0032]

The head 7 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, is connected to a pipe 81 to which high pressure gas is supplied from outside the heating cylinder 3 through the gas pipeline block 8. The high pressure gas from the tube 81 is introduced into the inside of the head part 7 and is discharged from the gas outlet (nozzle, see FIG. 3) provided in the central region. A plurality of resin discharge blocks 73 are provided evenly around the gas discharge holes 71. According to this embodiment, the resin discharge unit 73 includes a resin discharge needle 73a and a resin discharge needle fitting 73b having a structure for attaching the resin discharge needle 73a to the head portion 7.

[0033]

The head portion 7 shown in FIG. 3 includes a heating cylinder cover 77 for closing an end portion of the heating cylinder 3, and a resin discharge unit retaining ring 78 as a means for holding the resin discharge unit 73. The resin discharge block retaining ring 78 is attached to the heating cylinder cover block 77 without fastening means such as a bolt (not indicated).

[0034]

According to this holding ring 78 of the resin discharge unit, if a plurality of resin discharge units 73 are provided around the gas discharge port 71 (nozzle), a significant increase in the productivity of a nanofiber having a uniform fiber diameter and length is achieved by arranging a plurality of resin discharge units 73 with equal at intervals equal to the distances ("distances a" from the gas outlet), or equal angles (outlet angles θ).

[0035]

Next, with reference to FIG. 11, a description will be given of the positional relationship of the gas discharge hole 71 (nozzle) and resin discharge blocks 73 provided around it. The gas stream 90 is discharged from the gas discharge hole 71 provided in the central region of the head portion 7. There are provided a plurality of resin discharge blocks 73 disposed around the gas flow 90, and resin is discharged from the resin discharge holes 73a of the resin discharge needles 73a with the discharge angle θ to the gas flow 90 ... The resin discharge openings of the resin discharge needles 73a are disposed in the forward direction (on the downstream side together with the gas flow 90 from the discharge openings 71) at a "distance a" from the discharge opening 71. Each resin discharge hole of the plurality of resin discharge needles 73a is configured to discharge resin forward at a "distance b" from the discharge holes 71 (on the downstream side together with the gas flow 90 from the discharge holes 71) so that the resin flows intersect.

[0036]

Regarding the arrangement conditions of the plurality of resin discharge units 73, they can also ensure the formation of a nanofiber having a non-uniform fiber diameter or length by varying the number of resin discharge units 73, an arrangement spacing, an arrangement distance ("distance a" from the gas outlet), and location angle θ. According to the use of the manufactured nanofiber, the arrangement conditions of the resin discharge unit 73 such as an arrangement spacing and the like can be appropriately selected and changed.

[0037]

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the head portion 7 shown in Fig. 3 taken along the line A-A. 5 (a), (b) and (c) show cross-sectional views of the main part of the head portion 7 shown in FIG. 4 along lines B-B, C-C and D-D, respectively. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a high pressure gas flow passage A and a molten resin flow passage B. As shown in FIGS. 4-6, six resin flow passages 75 (arrow B in the drawings) are provided with equal spacing corresponding to the resin discharge unit 73 at the head 7. The resin discharge unit 73 is connected to the heating cylinder 3 through the resin flow passage 75. The molten resin compressed by the rotation of the screw 5 flows into the resin flow passage 75 shown in cross-section along the DD line of FIG. 5 (c), and through the resin flow passage 75 shown in the cross-section along CC line, the molten resin flows into the block 73b the resin discharge needle, shown in cross-section along line BB, and is discharged from the resin discharge needle 73a. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the gas flow passage 72 (arrow A in the drawings) is provided in the center of the head portion 7 so as not to intersect with the resin flow passage 75 (arrow B in the drawings). In addition, as shown in cross-section along line C-C of FIG. 5 (b), the gas flow passage 72 is provided with a direction change from the outside to the inside of the head portion 7 through any adjacent resin flow passage 75. The gas pipeline unit 8 is connected to the gas flow passage 72 through the tube 81. High-temperature high pressure gas is supplied from the gas pipeline unit 8 through the gas flow passage 72 and is discharged from the gas outlet 71 (nozzles). A resin flow passage 75 and a gas flow passage 72 are provided in the head 7 so that they do not interfere with each other. Reference numeral 79 in FIG. 5 (b) denotes a screw portion 79 for accommodating a tube (gas flow passage) 81 on the heating cylinder cover block 77.

[0038]

In order to adapt the positioning conditions of the resin discharge unit 73 to the gas flow passage 72, a holding control unit 74 is provided for the resin discharge unit 73. The resin discharge hole diameter of the resin discharge needle 73a in the resin discharge unit 73 is very small, and the resin discharge needle 73a is susceptible to stresses such as vibrations of the device and resin pressure, and therefore the positioning conditions of the previously mentioned resin discharge unit 73 can be changed. and it can be detached from the head 7. It becomes necessary to avoid stress on the resin discharge needle 73a if the angle of the resin discharge needle 73a is adjusted and changed, and to make the structure such that the resin discharge needle 73a is not detached from the head 7.

[0039]

7 (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the supporting structure of the holding adjusting block 74 for attaching the resin discharge unit 73 to the holding ring 78 of the variable angle resin discharge unit. The resin discharge unit 73 includes a resin discharge needle 73a and a resin discharge needle connection unit 73b, and the resin discharge needle connection unit 73b is fixed to the retaining ring 78 of the resin discharge unit of the head portion 7 by a threaded connection (not shown), engaging and using fixing means, such as a pin, etc. The resin discharge needle 73a is provided with a holding control block 74. This holding control block 74 includes a discharge needle gripping unit 74a for gripping the resin discharge needle 73a from the periphery and an adjustment unit 74b having an adjusting foot 74c that is retractable and extends from the outside to the inside of the head portion 7. By means of the adjusting unit 74b, the adjusting leg 74c is extended and retracted, and the resin discharge needle gripping unit 74a is moved in the diametrical direction of the head portion 7. Thereby, the resin discharge needle 73a can be fixed at the desired position and angle. By using such a resin discharge opening adjusting block 74, the resin discharge assembly 73 is adjusted so that the molten resin discharged is discharged at a desired discharge angle into the flow of gas discharged from the gas discharge port 71, and is securely fixed at this angle.

[0040]

This structure is useful as a unit for adjusting the angle of discharge of the molten resin into the discharge gas stream, and the resin discharge needle 73a has the shape of a very thin tube. When the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus 1 is in operation, strong vibration of this tube may occur at its top due to the operation of the motor 6 and the screw 5, and the holding control unit 74 can effectively suppress this vibration. In Fig. 2 showing this embodiment, six resin discharge units 73 and six holding control units 74 are shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and their number can be appropriately selected according to the resin used, production volume and product properties.

[0041]

7 (b) shows another example of an angle adjusting function of the resin discharge unit 73. In this embodiment, the holding control unit 74 comprises a resin discharge needle gripping unit 74d for gripping the resin discharge needle 73a from the periphery, as well as an adjustment unit (not shown) having an adjusting foot 74e that is retractable and extends from the outside to the inside of the head portion 7. C With this adjusting unit, the adjusting leg 74e is extended and retracted, and the resin discharge needle gripping unit 74d is moved in the diametrical direction of the head portion 7. Thereby, the resin discharge needle 73a can be fixed at the desired position and angle. The resin discharge needle connection unit 73c is made spherical and cylindrical, a sliding surface 76 on which the resin discharge needle connection unit 73c can rotate or rotate is provided on the retaining ring 78 of the resin discharge unit of the head 7, and the resin discharge needle connection unit 73c is provided. Thereby, the angle of the resin discharge needle 73a can be easily adjusted, and it becomes possible to adjust the angle of the resin discharge unit 73 without worrying about the resin discharge needle 73a falling out.

[0042]

With regard to the gas discharge hole 71 and the resin discharge unit 73, as shown in the drawings, the gas discharge hole 71 is provided at the outlet side of the resin discharge unit 73. According to this structure, the molten resin gradually elongates along with the distribution of the gas flow discharged from the gas outlet 71, and a fiber in the nano range is obtained. By using a heating unit, not shown in the drawings, gas is discharged from the gas pipeline unit 8 as hot air. Accordingly, the resin discharged from the resin discharge unit 73 forms a nanofiber with a longer length and a smaller diameter than when a normal temperature gas is discharged.

[0043]

Next, a description will be given of the sequence of operations of the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above-described structure. The raw material (resin) entering the hopper 2 is melted in the heating cylinder 3 by heating by the heater 4 and is directed to the front of the heating cylinder 3 by a screw driven by the motor 6. The molten resin entering the end of the heating cylinder 3 is discharged from the raw material outlets six resin discharge needles 73 through six resin flow passages 75 provided inside the head portion 7. The molten resin discharged is carried along with the high temperature high pressure air flow coming from the gas pipeline unit 8 and discharged from the gas outlet 71. A nanofiber is formed by elongating the molten resin due to the difference in speed between the fast air flow of a high temperature gas and the slow air flow around it.

Embodiment 2

[0044]

According to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, a detailed description has been given of a nanofiber manufacturing apparatus in which a granular synthetic resin in the form of fine particles is melted and used as a raw material. As mentioned earlier, the nanofiber liquid raw material is not limited to this, and a dissolved raw material which is prepared by first dissolving a solid or liquid raw material in a predetermined solvent in order to obtain a predetermined concentration can be used. It is also called liquid raw material. 8-10 show a nanofiber manufacturing apparatus for forming nanofibers from dissolved raw materials. For structures similar to those in Embodiment 1, the same reference numerals are used.

[0045]

According to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, a solvent storage unit 5A having a function of extruding dissolved raw materials at a predetermined pressure is used instead of using the hopper 2, the screw 5, and the motor 6 of Embodiment 1. The gravity caused by the height difference can be used as the predetermined pressure ... The head 7A is connected to the solvent supply hose 3A and the gas line unit 8. A gas discharge unit (not illustrated) may be provided in the gas line unit 8, or gas may be introduced from a high pressure gas supply unit (not shown) to the gas line unit 8. As shown in FIG. 9, the head 7A is provided with a gas flow passage 72A and a gas outlet 71A as a gas flow passage supplied from the gas pipeline unit 8. Similarly, the head 7A is provided with a resin flow passage 75A as a dissolved feed flow passage, and a resin flow passage 75A is connected to the resin discharge unit 73. Similar to Embodiment 1, the resin discharge unit 73 includes resin discharge needles 73a as outlets for dissolved raw materials, and a resin discharge needle fitting not shown in FIGS. 8-10. The head 7A is provided with a retaining ring 78A of the resin discharge unit. By providing a retention adjusting block 74 comprising a release needle gripping unit 74a and an adjusting unit 74b having an adjusting foot 74c that is retractable and extends from the outside to the inside of the head portion 7, the ejection angle of the resin release needle 73a can be adjusted by the retention adjusting unit 74 similarly embodiment 1.

[0046]

An apparatus for manufacturing nanofibers according to Embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 10 is provided with two resin discharge units 73. The number of resin discharge blocks 73 is not limited to two, and three or more resin discharge blocks 73 may be evenly spaced around the gas discharge holes 71A. In this case, the resin discharge blocks 73 are preferably evenly spaced. The embodiment shown in the drawings shows a horizontal discharge type, however, variations for vertical discharge (top-down or bottom-up) in the vertical direction from the gas outlet 71A to the gas outlet 72A can be easily seen by one skilled in the art.

[0047]

Compared with the structure of Embodiment 1, according to the present embodiment, a dissolved raw material that dissolves in a solvent is used, and the nanofiber manufacturing apparatus can be constructed without using complex components such as a heating cylinder, motor, screw, etc. This makes the device small and saves space. In addition, since the device becomes small in size, a portable nanofiber manufacturing device can be obtained. In such a portable device, a nanofiber can be formed by spraying a nanofiber onto an area to which the nanofiber is to be attached, and the use of the fiber can be expanded.

[0048]

Although a detailed description has been given for specific embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a horizontal nanofiber manufacturing apparatus is described in which the molten resin discharge holes and the gas discharge hole are arranged in the horizontal direction, however, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is no problem in organizing the vertical apparatus and method. fabrication of nanofiber from top to bottom. By using the vertical device and method, the influence of gravity can be effectively prevented. The extrusion unit is shown as a screw 5, however, as in the injection molding process, there is no problem if the solvent is supplied properly and batch extrusion is performed using a piston, although countermeasures must be taken against interruption of the nanofiber being produced. In addition, the gas outlet 71 can be in the form of a nozzle by being tapered in order to increase the pressure. For the angle adjusting structure of the resin discharge needle 73a, two examples are shown and described, however, the angle adjusting structure of the resin discharge unit such as bellows and so on can be applied.

Claims (20)

1. Device (1) for the manufacture of nanofiber, containing: a high pressure gas discharge unit (71) for discharging a high pressure gas stream (90); and a plurality of feedstock liquid discharge units (73) for discharging liquid feedstock into a high pressure gas stream (90) discharged from said high pressure gas discharge unit (71), wherein said liquid feed discharge units (73) are provided around the center of the high pressure gas flow (90) discharged from said high pressure gas discharge unit (71), characterized in that comprises an angle control unit (74) capable of adjusting the installation angle of said unit (73) for discharging liquid feed into a high pressure gas stream (90) discharged from said high pressure gas discharging unit (71). 2. A device (1) for producing nanofibers according to claim 1, wherein said liquid raw material discharge units (73) are provided with an extrusion unit (5) for melting and extruding the raw material, and in which said liquid raw material discharging units (73) are discharged raw material melted and extruded by said extrusion unit (5) as liquid raw material. 3. An apparatus (1) for producing nanofibers according to claim 1, wherein said liquid raw material discharge units (73) are provided with a dissolved raw material supply unit (5A) and in which said liquid raw material discharge units (73) discharge dissolved raw materials as liquid raw materials. 4. Device (1) for the production of nanofibers according to any one of paragraphs. 1 to 3, wherein said high pressure gas discharge unit (71) is provided with a gas supply unit for supplying high pressure and high temperature gas, and said high pressure gas discharge unit (71) discharges said high pressure and high temperature gas as a stream (90) high pressure gas. 5. A device (1) for producing nanofibers according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which at least two or more of said feed liquid discharge units (73) are arranged symmetrically at said high pressure gas discharge unit (71). 6. Device (1) for the manufacture of nanofibers according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, wherein said liquid feed discharge units (73) are spaced at regular intervals around a high pressure gas flow (90) discharged from said high pressure gas discharge unit (71). 7. Device (1) for the manufacture of nanofibers according to any one of paragraphs. 1-6, in which (90) a high pressure gas stream discharged from said high pressure gas outlet unit (71) is discharged in a vertical direction relative to the mounting surface of the device (1). 8. A method of manufacturing nanofibers using a device (1) for manufacturing nanofibers according to any one of claims. 1-7, in which: a high pressure gas stream (90) is discharged from said high pressure gas outlet unit (71); discharge the liquid feed from the liquid feed discharge units (73) into a high pressure gas stream (90) discharged from said high pressure gas discharge unit (71), and using the angle control unit (74), the angle (θ) of the liquid feed discharged from said liquid feed discharging units (73) to said high-pressure gas stream (90) is controlled when said liquid feed discharging units (73) discharge liquid feed to the central high pressure gas stream (90). 9. A method of manufacturing nanofibers using a device (1) for manufacturing nanofibers, comprising a heating cylinder (3) to which the raw material is fed, a heating unit (4) for heating the heating cylinder (3), and an extrusion unit (5) for extruding the raw material, located in the said heating cylinder (3), while the end part of said heating cylinder (3) is provided with an opening (71) for the high pressure gas outlet, in said heating cylinder (3) around said gas outlet opening (71), a plurality of raw material discharge units (73) are provided for discharging raw material in a molten state, and a fiber having a diameter in the nanoscale is obtained by heating said heating cylinder (3) with said heating unit (4), melting the raw material supplied to said heating cylinder (3) or keeping it in a molten state, extruding the raw material from said unit (5 ) extruding and discharging from said raw material discharge unit (73) by forming an air flow with gas discharged from said gas discharge opening (71), by adjusting the discharge angle of raw materials using (74) an angle adjusting unit, and by transferring and extending said of the released raw material by the air flow of the released gas from the periphery.

Images