Electroblowing web formation process
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorsMichael Bryner, Jack Armantrout, Benjamin Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved electroblowing process is provided for forming a fibrous web of nanofibers wherein polymer stream is issued from a spinning nozzle in a spinneret with the aid of a forwarding gas stream, passes an electrode and a resulting nanofiber web is collected on a collector. The process includes applying a high voltage to the electrode and grounding the spinneret such that an electric field is generated between the spinneret and the electrode of sufficient strength to impart an electrical charge on the polymer as it issues from the spinning nozzle.
Claims16
An electroblowing process for forming a fibrous web comprising:
- (a) issuing an electrically charged polymer stream from a spinning nozzle in a spinneret;
- (b) passing the polymer stream by an electrode to which a voltage is applied and wherein the spinneret is substantially grounded, such that an electric field is generated between the spinneret and the electrode of sufficient strength to impart said electrical charge to the polymer stream as it issues from the spinning nozzle;
- and
- (c) collecting nanofibers formed from the charged polymer stream on a collector as a fibrous web.
A fiber spinning apparatus, comprising:
- a polymer supply vessel connected to an inlet side of a spinneret having a polymer flow passage disposed therein, said polymer flow passage exiting said spinneret through at least one spinning nozzle;
- forwarding gas nozzles having exits disposed adjacent to and directed toward said spinning nozzle, said spinning nozzle extending beyond the exits of said gas nozzles;
- at least one electrode disposed downstream of said gas nozzles, but outside of a gas flow path established by the direction of the gas flow nozzles;
- and
- a fiber collector disposed downstream of said spinning nozzle,
- wherein each of said spinneret, said electrode and said fiber collector are electrically connected to a circuit containing a high voltage supply, such that each can be individually charged to a potential.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.