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US 2026/0267218 A1Published application
Nanofiber pellicle film production and apparatus
AssigneeLintec of America, Inc.
InventorMarcio D. LIMA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method of producing nanofiber pellicle films. A suspension of nanofibers is passed through a filter to produce a thin, preferably ultra-thin, nanofiber pellicle film. The film is floated off of the filter and is adhered to a harvesting frame which can be easily handled. The film may be dried and stored for further processing.
Claims17
An apparatus for producing a nanofiber pellicle film, the apparatus comprising:
- a structural frame having a base;
- a reservoir having a bottom and a plurality of openings on the bottom;
- at least two fluid feeding lines with outflow termini placed inside the reservoir;
- a harvesting frame holder;
- a harvesting frame holder track for guiding movement of the harvesting frame holder;
- and
- a harvesting frame controller for controlling the movement of the harvesting frame holder,
- wherein
- the reservoir is mounted pivotally on the base of the structural frame, and the reservoir is adjustable from horizontal to an inclined angle of at least 3 degrees,
- the bottom has a drainage underneath, the drainage being in communication with the plurality of openings and being connected to a negative vacuum pressure,
- a first one of the at least two fluid feeding lines is configured to fill the reservoir with a fluid;
- a second one of the at least two fluid feeding lines is configured to dispense a nanofiber suspension;
- the harvesting frame holder is configured to maintain a harvesting frame at an angle of 75 to 105-degree from horizontal, submerge the harvesting frame underneath a surface of the fluid, attach a nanofiber pellicle film to the harvesting frame, lift the harvesting frame upward out of the reservoir;
- and
- the harvesting frame holder track has one end outside the reservoir and an opposite end having a straight portion longer than a length of the harvesting frame, a terminus of the opposite end being spaced apart from the bottom.
12 more elements
A method of preparing a nanofiber pellicle film, the method comprising:
- filtering a nanofiber suspension onto a filter in a reservoir to produce a nanofiber pellicle film on the filter, wherein the filter has a horizontal planar orientation;
- tilting the filter and the nanofiber pellicle film to a second plane having an inclined angle of at least three degrees from horizontal;
- filling a fluid into the reservoir;
- submerging the filter and the nanofiber pellicle film in the fluid to separate the nanofiber pellicle film from the filter, and
- floating the nanofiber pellicle film on a surface of the fluid, wherein
- the nanofibers within the nanofiber pellicle film are randomly oriented on a filter surface in a planar orientation.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.