Transport of Liquids and Solute Materials in Nanochannels
AssigneeApplied Thin Films, Inc.
InventorsSankar Sambasivan, Francis R Chapman, Jeffrey W. Donelan, Christopher J. Garcia
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Abstract
Transport of a vaporizable liquid containing at least one solute through a material containing nanochannels is performed by contacting material with at least one vaporizable liquid component and inducing liquid transport along nanochannel interior wall surfaces, wherein the material contains nanochannels having an average diameter up to about 300 nm, preferably up to about 100 nm, and liquid transport is induced by partial liquid vaporization. A film of solid material is deposited onto an interior nanochannel wall surface by removing the transport liquid.
Claims27
A method to transporting a liquid containing at least one solute through a material containing nanochannels in open communication with a surface of the material, the method comprising:
- contacting the material with the liquid, the liquid containing the solute and a vaporizable liquid component;
- transporting the liquid along nanochannel interior wall surfaces of the material, the transported liquid having a liquid film thickness on the interior wall surface of at least about 10 nm and less than about 150 nm;
- and
- vaporizing a portion of the vaporizable liquid component within the nanochannels;
- wherein the material contains nanochannels having an average diameter up to about 300 nm;
- wherein liquid transport is induced by internal liquid partial vaporization;
- and
- wherein the nanochannels are not filled completely with liquid.
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The method of claim 19, wherein the first and the second film layers have different compositions.
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A method of transporting a liquid containing at least one solute through a material containing nanochannels in open communication with a surface of the material, the method comprising:
- contacting the material with the liquid, the liquid containing the solute and a vaporizable liquid component, the vaporizable liquid component consisting of water, a C1-C10 alcohol, or a mixture thereof;
- transporting the liquid along interior wall surfaces of the material, the transported liquid having a liquid film thickness on the interior wall surfaces of less than about 150 nm;
- providing a locally dynamic pressure gradient within the nanochannels;
- and then
- removing the vaporizable liquid component from the material thereby forming a first film layer of the solute on the interior wall surfaces;
- wherein the material contains nanochannels having an average diameter up to about 300 nm;
- wherein liquid transport is induced by internal liquid partial vaporization;
- and
- wherein the nanochannels are not filled completely with liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.