A hollow gel microtube preparation system

Abstract

The application provides a hollow gel microtube preparation system, which comprises a support, a low-temperature collecting pool, a lifting platform, a first temperature control device, a second temperature control device, a center support material feeding device, a gel material feeding device, an external support material feeding device and a former, the first temperature control device and the second temperature control device are both installed on the lifting platform, the former is installed in the second temperature control device and the discharge end of the former penetrates through the second temperature control device and is arranged corresponding to the low-temperature collecting pool, the output end of the center support material feeding device is communicated with the first inlet of the former, the gel material feeding device is installed in the first temperature control device and the output end of the gel material feeding device is communicated with the second inlet of the former, and the output end of the external support material feeding device is communicated with the third inlet of the former. The hollow gel microtube preparation system provided by the application belongs to the technical field of functional polymer material preparation, can continuously produce hollow gel microtubes and can control the inner and outer diameter sizes of the hollow gel microtubes.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a hollow gel microtube preparation system, belonging to the technical field of functional polymer material preparation. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, micro-scale structures such as micro-nanoparticles and micro-nanofibers have been used as drug delivery scaffolds to support defective tissue cells, as basic materials for studying cell-cell interactions, and as drug carriers for tissue assembly, tissue organ regeneration.

[0003] Among numerous micro-scale structures, hollow microtubes have very high utilization value in biological engineering due to their similar structure to blood vessels. Hydrogel materials have natural advantages in simulating physiological microenvironments due to their hydrophilicity, permeability, and biocompatibility. Therefore, hollow gel microtubes can be used to simulate capillaries and provide a usable model for studying the exchange of substances between blood and tissues in the human vascular system.

[0004] At present, it is still difficult to manufacture gel microtubes with hollow structures at the micro-scale. Generally, 3D printing technology is used, with the help of a sacrificial material to provide support during printing. After the structure is solidified, the sacrificial material is removed by solubilization or liquefaction, thereby forming a hollow structure. The prior art CN113736018B discloses a method for preparing a hollow gel using a microfluidic front-end polymerization technology, which discloses assembling a polytetrafluoroethylene tube with a long needle into a microfluidic channel with a hollow structure; weighing acrylamide monomers, acrylic ester monomers, N-vinyl pyrrolidone, and a solvent to form a mixed solution; adding a heating initiator and a crosslinking agent to the mixed solution to form a precursor solution; transferring the precursor solution to the microfluidic channel with a syringe; heating to initiate the polymerization reaction at the end of the microfluidic channel until all the raw materials in the entire reactor are completely converted into gel, and finally obtaining a hollow gel material. However, the inner diameter of the hollow gel microtube cannot be arbitrarily adjusted.

[0005] Alternatively, coaxial extrusion printing technology is used to directly print gel microtubes with hollow structures using a coaxial nozzle. However, the outer diameter and inner diameter of the microtubes prepared by these methods can only be adjusted by adjusting the outer diameter and inner needle size of the 3D printing head or coaxial nozzle. On the other hand, it is also limited by the machining precision of the nozzle and inner diameter. The size of the microtubes prepared by this method is generally in the millimeter range. SUMMARY

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a hollow gel microtube preparation system that can continuously produce hollow gel microtubes and control their inner and outer diameters.

[0007] The technical scheme for solving the above technical problems is as follows: a hollow gel microtube preparation system, comprising a support, a low-temperature collection pool, a lifting platform capable of approaching or moving away from the low-temperature collection pool, a first temperature control device, a second temperature control device, a center support material feeding device, a gel material feeding device, an external support material feeding device, and a former for forming a multi-layer tubular structure of the center support material, the gel material outside the center support material, and the external support material outside the gel material, the lifting platform is installed on the support, the first temperature control device and the second temperature control device are both installed on the lifting platform, the former is installed in the second temperature control device and its discharge end penetrates through the second temperature control device and is arranged corresponding to the low-temperature collection pool, the output end of the center support material feeding device is communicated with a first inlet of the former through a feeding pipe, the gel material feeding device is installed in the first temperature control device and its output end is communicated with a second inlet of the former through a feeding pipe, and the output end of the external support material feeding device is communicated with a third inlet of the former through a feeding pipe.

[0008] The beneficial effects of the present application are as follows: the center support material feeding device, the gel material feeding device, and the external support material feeding device are used to respectively convey the center support material, the gel material, and the external support material into the former, the external support material does not react with the gel material, is separated from the gel material after being output from the discharge end of the former, and forms a double-layer tubular structure of the center support material and the gel material from the inside to the outside under the action of the former, the center support material is used to flow out of the gel tube body and form a hollow gel microtube by virtue of the property that the center support material is solidified at a low temperature and is restored to a viscous liquid at room temperature; the speed of the center support material is controlled to further control the inner diameter of the hollow gel microtube, and the conveying speed of the external support material is controlled to control the outer diameter of the hollow gel microtube; the first temperature control device and the second temperature control device are used to control the flow path of the gel material at a constant high temperature to ensure the flowability of the gel material; the second temperature control device is capable of precisely controlling the temperature of the former, effectively controls the viscosity of the gel solution while ensuring the flowability of the gel solution, and makes the gel solution have controllable stretchability; the discharge end of the former and the low-temperature collection pool can be adjusted in distance by virtue of the lifting of the lifting platform, the distance that the double-layer tubular structure output from the discharge end of the former can be stretched is controlled, the length of the stretch is inversely proportional to the size of the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the double-layer tubular structure, and the size of the inner diameter and the outer diameter is controlled; and the low-temperature collection pool is capable of rapidly reducing the temperature of the gel material to solidify the gel material. The device can continuously produce the hollow gel microtube, and the inner and outer diameters of the hollow gel microtube can be controlled by adjusting the temperature of the former, the conveying speed of the material, and the stretch length.

[0009] On the basis of the above technical scheme, the present application can be further improved as follows.

[0010] Further, the center support material feeding device comprises a reagent bottle containing the center support material, a first support material plunger pump, and a three-way valve one, a first port of the three-way valve one being in communication with a rodless cavity of the first support material plunger pump, a discharge end of the reagent bottle being in communication with a second port of the three-way valve one through a feeding pipe, and a third port of the three-way valve one being in communication with a first inlet of the former through a feeding pipe.

[0011] The beneficial effects of the above further scheme are that the first port and the second port of the three-way valve one are opened, the volume of the rodless cavity of the first support material plunger pump is expanded, the air pressure is reduced, the center support material in the reagent bottle is sucked into the rodless cavity, the second port of the three-way valve one is closed and the third port is opened, the volume of the rodless cavity is reduced, and the center support material is delivered to the first inlet of the former. The structure is simple, and the flow rate of the center support material is convenient to control.

[0012] Further, the center support material feeding device further comprises a second support material plunger pump and a three-way valve two, a first port of the three-way valve two being in communication with a rodless cavity of the second support material plunger pump, a second port of the three-way valve two being in communication with the third port of the three-way valve one through a feeding pipe, and a third port of the three-way valve two being in communication with the first inlet of the former through a feeding pipe.

[0013] The beneficial effects of the above further scheme are that the second port and the third port of the three-way valve one are opened, the first port and the second port of the three-way valve two are opened, the volume of the rodless cavity of the first support material plunger pump is reduced while the volume of the rodless cavity of the second support material plunger pump is expanded, the center support material is sucked into the rodless cavity of the second support material plunger pump, the inner diameter of the rodless cavity of the second support material plunger pump is smaller than that of the first support material plunger pump, the flow rate of the center support material is adjusted by the first support material plunger pump and the second support material plunger pump, and the sampling precision of the center support material is improved.

[0014] Further, the gel material feeding device comprises a reagent tank containing the gel material, a gel material plunger pump, and a three-way valve three, a first port of the three-way valve three being in communication with a rodless cavity of the gel material plunger pump, a discharge end of the reagent tank being in communication with a second port of the three-way valve three through a feeding pipe, and a third port of the three-way valve three being in communication with a second inlet of the former through a feeding pipe.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the above further scheme are that the first port and the second port of the three-way valve three are opened, the volume of the rodless cavity of the gel material plunger pump is expanded, the air pressure is reduced, the gel material in the reagent tank is sucked into the rodless cavity, the second port of the three-way valve three is closed and the third port is opened, the volume of the rodless cavity is reduced, and the gel material is delivered into the former. The structure is simple, and the flow rate of the gel material is convenient to control.

[0016] Further, the gel material feeding device further comprises an air compressor, the air compressor comprises a pressure pump, an air tank and a pressure sensor, the pressure pump is communicated with the air tank through a gas conveying pipe, the air tank is communicated with the reagent tank through a gas conveying pipe, the pressure sensor is installed in the air tank, and an electromagnetic valve is installed on the gas conveying pipe communicated with the reagent tank.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the above further scheme are that the gel material is relatively viscous, the pressure pump makes the gel material more smooth during conveying, the working of the pressure pump increases the pressure in the air tank, the pressure sensor stops the working of the pressure pump when the pressure in the air tank reaches a preset value, the air tank pressurizes the reagent tank through the gas conveying pipe, the volume of the rodless cavity of the gel material plunger pump is expanded, the gel material in the reagent tank is sucked into the rodless cavity of the gel material plunger pump, and the gel material is conveyed to the second inlet of the former through the gel material plunger pump.

[0018] Further, the first temperature control device comprises a sealed box, a heating plate, a temperature sensor and a water inlet pipe, the sealed box is fixed on the lifting platform, the heating plate, the temperature sensor, the reagent tank, the gel material plunger pump and the three-way valve are all installed in the sealed box, a water inlet hole is formed in the sealed box, the water outlet end of the water inlet pipe is in sealed connection with the water inlet hole, and the water inlet end is communicated with an external water source.

[0019] The beneficial effects of the above further scheme are that the sealed box is filled with water through the water inlet pipe, the heating plate heats the water, the temperature sensor monitors the temperature of the water, the water bath heating temperature is easy to control, and the gel material in the sealed box is heated more uniformly.

[0020] Further, the first temperature control device further comprises a uniform mixing pump, a liquid level sensor, a water tank and a peristaltic pump, the uniform mixing pump and the liquid level sensor are both installed in the sealed box, the water inlet end of the water inlet pipe is communicated with the bottom of the water tank, and the peristaltic pump is installed on the water inlet pipe.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the above further scheme are that the liquid level sensor can ensure that the liquid level of the reagent tank, the gel material plunger pump and the three-way valve is above the three, and the gel material is uniformly heated; the uniform mixing pump stirs the water in the sealed box, so that the water temperatures of different layers are the same; and the peristaltic pump can supply and pump water, without the need to form a water inlet and a water outlet, and the water is only transported in the water conveying pipe and cannot pass through the pump body, so that the device is more clean and cannot be polluted.

[0022] Further, the second temperature control device comprises a heat preservation box and a heater, the heat preservation box is fixed on the lifting platform and arranged side by side with the sealed box, the heater and the former are both installed in the heat preservation box, and the discharge end of the former is arranged out of the heat preservation box and corresponds to the low-temperature collecting pool.

[0023] The beneficial effects of the above further scheme are that the heater in the heat preservation box heats the temperature in the heat preservation box to the same temperature as that of the sealed box, so that the center support material, the gel material and the external support material are kept at a temperature at which they can flow; the heat preservation box is arranged side by side with the sealed box and closely attached, so that the temperature of the gel material output from the sealed box is prevented from being reduced to reduce the flowability.

[0024] Further, the lifting platform comprises a workbench and a pneumatic cylinder, the workbench is slidingly connected to the support in the lifting direction, the pneumatic cylinder is installed on the support and has one end of a lifting rod fixedly connected to the bottom of the workbench, and the heat preservation box and the sealed box are both fixed on the workbench.

[0025] The beneficial effects of the above further scheme are that the pneumatic cylinder can drive the workbench to lift, control the distance between the discharge end of the former and the low-temperature collecting pool, and then control the length of the double-layer tubular structure stretched from the discharge end of the former, and then control the sizes of the inner diameter and the outer diameter.

[0026] Further, the external support material feeding device comprises a liquid storage bottle for storing the external support material, an external support material plunger pump and a three-way valve four, the first port of the three-way valve four is in communication with the rodless cavity of the external support material plunger pump, the discharge end of the liquid storage bottle is in communication with the second port of the three-way valve four through a feeding pipe, and the third port of the three-way valve four is in communication with the third inlet of the former through a feeding pipe.

[0027] The beneficial effects of the above further scheme are that when the first port and the second port of the three-way valve four are opened, the volume of the rodless cavity of the external support material plunger pump is expanded, the air pressure is reduced, the external support material in the liquid storage bottle is sucked into the rodless cavity, the second port of the three-way valve four is closed and the third port is opened, the volume of the rodless cavity is reduced, and the external support material is delivered to the third inlet of the former, so that the structure is simple and the flow rate of the external support material is convenient to control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] Fig. 1 A working schematic diagram of a hollow gel microtube preparation system is provided in the present application.

[0029] Fig. 2 A structural schematic diagram of a former in the prior art is provided.

[0030] Fig. 3A device diagram of a hollow gel microtube preparation system provided by the present application.

[0031] In the drawings, the components represented by each reference numeral are listed as follows:

[0032] 1 - center support material feeding device, 11 - reagent bottle, 12 - first support material plunger pump, 13 - three-way valve one, 14 - second support material plunger pump, 15 - three-way valve two, 2 - gel material feeding device, 21 - reagent tank, 22 - gel material plunger pump, 23 - three-way valve three, 24 - air compressor, 241 - pressure pump, 242 - air storage tank, 243 - pressure sensor, 244 - electromagnetic valve, 245 - check valve, 3 - external support material feeding device, 31 - liquid storage bottle, 32 - external support material plunger pump, 33 - three-way valve four, 4 - first temperature control device, 41 - sealed box, 42 - water inlet pipe, 43 - water tank, 44 - peristaltic pump, 5 - incubator, 6 - former, 61 - first inlet, 62 - second inlet, 63 - third inlet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The principles and features of the present application are described below in conjunction with the drawings, and the examples are only used to explain the present application and not to limit the scope of the present application.

[0034] The purpose of the present application is to provide a hollow gel microtube preparation system to solve the problems existing in the prior art, which can continuously produce hollow gel microtubes and control the inner and outer diameter sizes.

[0035] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0036] The present application provides a hollow gel microtube preparation system, as shown in the figure, comprising a support, a low-temperature collection pool, a lifting platform that can approach or move away from the low-temperature collection pool, a first temperature control device 4, a second temperature control device, a center support material feeding device 1, a gel material feeding device 2, an external support material feeding device 3, and a former 6 that forms a multi-layer tubular structure of the center support material, the gel material located outside the center support material, and the external support material located outside the gel material, the lifting platform is installed on the support, the first temperature control device 4 and the second temperature control device are both installed on the lifting platform, the former 6 is installed in the second temperature control device and its discharge end penetrates out of the second temperature control device and is arranged corresponding to the low-temperature collection pool, the output end of the center support material feeding device 1 is communicated with the first inlet 61 of the former 6 through a feeding pipe, the gel material feeding device 2 is installed in the first temperature control device 4 and its output end is communicated with the second inlet 62 of the former 6 through a feeding pipe, and the output end of the external support material feeding device 3 is communicated with the third inlet 63 of the former 6 through a feeding pipe. Figs. 1-3 ​

[0037] The hollow gel microtube preparation system provided by the application comprises a former 6, a center support material feeding device 1, a gel material feeding device 2 and an outer support material feeding device 3, the center support material feeding device 1, the gel material feeding device 2 and the outer support material feeding device 3 respectively feed the center support material, the gel material and the outer support material into the former 6, the outer support material does not react with the gel material, is separated from the gel material after being output from a discharge end of the former 6, forms a double-layer tubular structure with the center support material and the gel material from inside to outside under the action of the former 6, and then the center support material is dissolved by a solvent to form a hollow gel microtube, the inner diameter of the hollow gel microtube is controlled by controlling the speed of the center support material, the outer diameter of the hollow gel microtube is controlled by controlling the conveying speed of the outer support material, the first temperature control device 4 and the second temperature control device control the flow path of the gel material at a constant high temperature to ensure the flowability of the gel material, the second temperature control device can accurately control the temperature of the former 6, the viscosity of the gel solution can be effectively controlled while the flowability of the gel solution is ensured, the distance between the discharge end of the former 6 and the low-temperature collection tank can be adjusted by the lifting of the lifting platform, and then the distance that the double-layer tubular structure output from the discharge end of the former 6 can be stretched is controlled, the length of the stretching is inversely proportional to the size of the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the double-layer tubular structure, and then the size of the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the double-layer tubular structure is controlled, and the low-temperature collection tank can quickly reduce the temperature of the gel material to solidify the gel material, the hollow gel microtube can be continuously produced, and the inner and outer diameters of the hollow gel microtube can be controlled by the conveying speed of the material and the stretching length.

[0038] In an embodiment of the application, the center support material feeding device 1 comprises a reagent bottle 11 containing the center support material, a first support material plunger pump 12 and a three-way valve one 13, a first port of the three-way valve one 13 is in communication with a rodless cavity of the first support material plunger pump 12, a discharge end of the reagent bottle 11 is in communication with a second port of the three-way valve one 13 through a conveying pipe, and a third port of the three-way valve one 13 is in communication with a first inlet 61 of the former 6 through a conveying pipe.

[0039] The first port and the second port of the three-way valve one 13 are opened, the volume of the rodless cavity of the first support material plunger pump 12 is expanded, the air pressure is reduced, the center support material in the reagent bottle 11 is sucked into the rodless cavity, the second port of the three-way valve one 13 is closed and the third port is opened, the volume of the rodless cavity is reduced, and the center support material is conveyed to the first inlet 61 of the former 6, the structure is simple, and the flow rate of the center support material is convenient to control.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, the center support material feeding device 1 further comprises a second support material plunger pump 14 and a three-way valve 15, the first port of the three-way valve 15 is communicated with the rodless cavity of the second support material plunger pump 14, the second port of the three-way valve 15 is communicated with the third port of the three-way valve 13 through a feeding pipe, and the third port of the three-way valve 15 is communicated with the first inlet 61 of the former 6 through a feeding pipe.

[0041] The second port and the third port of the three-way valve 13 are opened, the first port and the second port of the three-way valve 15 are opened, the volume of the rodless cavity of the first support material plunger pump 12 is reduced while the volume of the rodless cavity of the second support material plunger pump 14 is expanded, the center support material is sucked into the rodless cavity of the second support material plunger pump 14, the inner diameter of the rodless cavity of the second support material plunger pump 14 is smaller than that of the first support material plunger pump 12, and the flow rate of the center support material is adjusted by the first support material plunger pump 12 and the second support material plunger pump 14.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present application, the gel material feeding device 2 comprises a reagent tank 21 containing gel material, a gel material plunger pump 22 and a three-way valve 23, the first port of the three-way valve 23 is communicated with the rodless cavity of the gel material plunger pump 22, the discharge end of the reagent tank 21 is communicated with the second port of the three-way valve 23 through a feeding pipe, and the third port of the three-way valve 23 is communicated with the second inlet 62 of the former 6 through a feeding pipe.

[0043] The first port and the second port of the three-way valve 23 are opened, the volume of the rodless cavity of the gel material plunger pump 22 is expanded, the air pressure is reduced, the gel material in the reagent tank 21 is sucked into the rodless cavity, the second port of the three-way valve 23 is closed and the third port is opened, the volume of the rodless cavity is reduced, and the gel material is delivered into the former 6, which is simple in structure and convenient to control the flow rate of the gel material.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present application, the gel material feeding device 2 further comprises an air compressor 24, the air compressor 24 comprises a pressure pump 241, an air tank 242 and a pressure sensor 243, the pressure pump 241 is communicated with the air tank 242 through an air pipe, the air tank 242 is communicated with the reagent tank 21 through an air pipe, the pressure sensor 243 is installed in the air tank 242, and an electromagnetic valve 244 is installed on the air pipe communicated with the reagent tank 21.

[0045] The gel material is relatively viscous, and the pressure pump 241 is used to make the gel material flow more smoothly during delivery. The pressure pump 241 is used to increase the pressure in the gas storage tank 242. When the pressure sensor 243 detects that the pressure in the gas storage tank 242 reaches a preset value, the pressure pump 241 stops working. The gas storage tank 242 pressurizes the reagent tank 21 through the gas delivery pipe, and at the same time, the rodless cavity volume of the gel material plunger pump 22 is expanded, so that the gel material in the reagent tank 21 is sucked into the rodless cavity of the gel material plunger pump 22, and then the gel material is delivered to the second inlet 62 of the former 6 through the gel material plunger pump 22.

[0046] Preferably, a check valve 245 is installed on the gas delivery pipe between the pressure pump 241 and the gas storage tank 242 to prevent the gas in the gas storage tank 242 from flowing backward.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present application, the first temperature control device 4 includes a sealed box 41, a heating plate, a temperature sensor, and a water inlet pipe 42. The sealed box 41 is fixed on the lifting platform. The heating plate, the temperature sensor, the reagent tank 21, the gel material plunger pump 22, and the three-way valve three 23 are all installed in the sealed box 41. The sealed box 41 is provided with a water inlet hole, and the water outlet end of the water inlet pipe 42 is sealingly connected to the water inlet hole. The water inlet end is connected to an external water source.

[0048] The sealed box 41 is filled with water through the water inlet pipe 42, and the heating plate heats the water. The temperature sensor monitors the temperature of the water. The water bath heating temperature is easy to control, and the heating of the gel material in the sealed box 41 is more uniform.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present application, the first temperature control device 4 further includes a mixing pump, a liquid level sensor, a water tank 43, and a peristaltic pump 44. The mixing pump and the liquid level sensor are both installed in the sealed box 41. The water inlet end of the water inlet pipe 42 is connected to the bottom of the water tank 43. The peristaltic pump 44 is installed on the water inlet pipe 42.

[0050] The liquid level sensor can ensure that the liquid level exceeds the reagent tank 21, the gel material plunger pump 22, and the three-way valve three 23, and ensure that the gel material is uniformly heated. The mixing pump stirs the water in the sealed box 41 to make the water temperature of each layer the same. The peristaltic pump 44 can supply and pump water, without the need to open a water inlet and a water outlet. The water is only transported in the water delivery pipe and does not pass through the pump body, which is more clean and does not pollute the device.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present application, the second temperature control device includes a heat preservation box 5 and a heater. The heat preservation box 5 is fixed on the lifting platform and is arranged side by side with the sealed box 41. The heater and the former 6 are both installed in the heat preservation box 5. The discharge end of the former 6 penetrates through the heat preservation box 5 and is arranged corresponding to a low-temperature collection pool.

[0052] The heater in the incubator 5 heats the temperature in the incubator 5 to the same temperature as the sealed box 41, so as to ensure that the center support material, the gel material and the external support material are at a temperature capable of flowing; the incubator 5 is arranged side by side with the sealed box 41 and is tightly attached, so as to prevent the gel material output from the sealed box 41 from being reduced in temperature and reduced in flowability.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present application, the lifting platform comprises a workbench and a cylinder, the workbench is slidingly connected to the support in the lifting direction, and the cylinder is installed on the support and has one end of a lifting rod fixedly connected to the bottom of the workbench; the incubator 5 and the sealed box 41 are both fixed on the workbench.

[0054] The cylinder can drive the workbench to lift and lower, control the distance between the output end of the former 6 and the low-temperature collection pool, and further control the length of the double-layer tubular structure stretched from the discharge end of the former 6, and further control the sizes of the inner diameter and the outer diameter.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present application, the external support material feeding device 3 comprises a liquid storage bottle 31 for storing the external support material, an external support material plunger pump 32 and a three-way valve 33, the first port of the three-way valve 33 is communicated with the rodless cavity of the external support material plunger pump 32, the discharge end of the liquid storage bottle 31 is communicated with the second port of the three-way valve 33 through a feeding pipe, and the third port of the three-way valve 33 is communicated with the third inlet 63 of the former 6 through a feeding pipe.

[0056] The first port and the second port of the three-way valve 33 are opened, the volume of the rodless cavity of the external support material plunger pump 32 is expanded, the air pressure is reduced, the external support material in the liquid storage bottle 31 is sucked into the rodless cavity, the second port of the three-way valve 33 is closed and the third port is opened, the volume of the rodless cavity is reduced, and the external support material is delivered to the third inlet 63 of the former 6, so that the structure is simple and the flow rate of the external support material is convenient to control.

[0057] The pipelines and components in the hollow gel microtube preparation system can be disassembled for cleaning and sterilization; or disposable standard consumables can be directly replaced.

[0058] The application range is wide, and the preparation of solid fibers or multi-layer composite microtubes can be realized by adjusting the reagent system, increasing or decreasing the number of flow paths.

[0059] In the hollow gel microtube preparation system in the embodiment of the present application, the use process is as follows:

[0060] In example 1, the water tank 43 is filled with pure water, and a special hose for the peristaltic pump 44 is used to connect the outlet of the water tank 43 to the water inlet hole of the sealed box 41; the peristaltic pump 44 is started, and the heating plate is started to heat after the water level in the sealed box 41 reaches the target liquid level.

[0061] Prepare the center flow reagent, sheath flow reagent and gel solution of target concentration, and then transfer them into the reagent bottle 11, the storage bottle 31 and the reagent tank 21 respectively, wherein the reagent tank 21 needs to be stored in a high-temperature environment (such as a 50℃ water bath);

[0062] Connect each component using the material delivery pipe (preferably a PTFE pipe with an outer diameter of 1.6mm), the gas delivery pipe and the water inlet pipe 42; then insert the outlet end of the former 6 into the silica gel plug at the bottom of the incubator 5 and pass through it, at this time, turn on the heater to heat the incubator 5;

[0063] After the sealed box 41 and the incubator 5 reach the set temperature (generally, the set temperature of the incubator 5 is slightly lower than that of the sealed box 41), wait for the temperature of the gel material in the reagent tank 21 to reach the set value;

[0064] Fix the low-temperature collection pool on the collection platform, and the temperature is-20℃ to-80℃.

[0065] Set the flow rates of the center support material, the gel material and the external support material, start the instrument to complete the preparation of the plunger pump cavity; then the corresponding plunger pumps of the three fluids will drive the fluids into the former 6 at the set flow rate, and start to prepare the gel microtubes. For the specific gel microtube formation process, refer to the specification part of CN217891943U.

[0066] At this time, the collection platform can move on the plane to realize single-layer collection of the product.

[0067] After the preparation is completed, cool the sealed box 41 and the incubator 5, then empty the water in the sealed box 41, take out the reagent tank 21 and the former 6 for cleaning; clean the reagent bottle 11 and the storage bottle 31, then refill them with pure water or cleaning solution, and clean the material delivery pipe and the plunger pump cavity at a certain flow rate.

[0068] Example 2: Prepare a hollow gel microtube, and the reagent system is composed of PEG400 as the center flow reagent, 50% gel aqueous solution as the gel solution and normal temperature aqueous solution as the sheath flow. The set temperature of the sealed box 41 is 50℃, the set temperature of the incubator 5 is 45℃, the flow rate ratio of the center flow reagent, the gel solution and the normal temperature aqueous solution is 10:100:1500μL / min, and the distance between the workbench and the low-temperature collection pool is set to 35cm. At this time, a hollow gel microtube with an inner diameter of 50μm and a wall thickness of 50μm is collected.

[0069] Example 3: Preparation of hollow gel microtubes. The reagent system consisted of: a central flow reagent of PEG400, a gel solution of 50% gelatin aqueous solution, and a sheath flow of room-temperature aqueous solution. The sealed chamber 41 was set to 50°C, and the incubator 5 was also set to 50°C. The flow rate ratio of the central flow reagent, gel solution, and room-temperature aqueous solution was 10:100:1500 μL / min. The height of the workbench from the low-temperature collection tank was set to 35 cm. Hollow gel microtubes with an inner diameter of 70 μm and a wall thickness of 140 μm were collected.

[0070] Example 4:

[0071] The formula for preparing the inner diameter of hollow gel microtubes is:

[0072]

[0073] Where: α, β, and γ are constant coefficients, μ0 is the viscosity of the gel material at the outlet temperature, and μ s ε is the viscosity at room temperature, T is the internal temperature of the molding machine 6, H is the height of the discharge end of the molding machine 6 from the liquid surface in the low temperature collection tank, r1 is the inner diameter of the outlet, and ε is the error coefficient.

[0074] The formula for preparing the outer diameter of hollow gel microtubes is:

[0075]

[0076] Where: α, β, and γ are constant coefficients, μ0 is the viscosity of the gel material at the outlet temperature, and μ s ε is the viscosity at room temperature, T is the internal temperature of the molding machine 6, H is the height of the discharge end of the molding machine 6 from the liquid surface in the low temperature collection tank, r2 is the inner diameter of the outlet, and ε is the error coefficient.

[0077] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for preparing hollow gel microtubules, characterized by comprising: The device comprises a support, a low-temperature collection pool, a lifting platform which can be close to or far from the low-temperature collection pool, a first temperature control device (4), a second temperature control device, a center support material feeding device (1), a gel material feeding device (2), an external support material feeding device (3), and a former (6) which forms a multi-layer tubular structure of the center support material, the gel material outside the center support material, and the external support material outside the gel material, The lifting platform is installed on the support, the first temperature control device (4) and the second temperature control device are both installed on the lifting platform, the former (6) is installed in the second temperature control device and its discharge end penetrates through the second temperature control device and is arranged corresponding to the low-temperature collection pool, the output end of the center support material feeding device (1) is communicated with the first inlet (61) of the former (6) through a feeding pipe, the gel material feeding device (2) is installed in the first temperature control device (4) and its output end is communicated with the second inlet (62) of the former (6) through a feeding pipe, and the output end of the external support material feeding device (3) is communicated with the third inlet (63) of the former (6) through a feeding pipe; The gel material feeding device (2) comprises a reagent tank (21) containing gel material, a gel material plunger pump (22), and a three-way valve three (23), the first port of the three-way valve three (23) is communicated with the rodless cavity of the gel material plunger pump (22), the discharge end of the reagent tank (21) is communicated with the second port of the three-way valve three (23) through a feeding pipe, and the third port of the three-way valve three (23) is communicated with the second inlet (62) of the former (6) through a feeding pipe; The first temperature control device (4) comprises a sealed box (41), a heating plate, a temperature sensor, and a water inlet pipe (42), the sealed box (41) is fixed on the lifting platform, the heating plate, the temperature sensor, the reagent tank (21), the gel material plunger pump (22), and the three-way valve three (23) are all installed in the sealed box (41), a water inlet hole is formed in the sealed box (41), and the water outlet end of the water inlet pipe (42) is sealingly connected with the water inlet hole and the water inlet end is communicated with an external water source; The second temperature control device comprises a heat preservation box (5) and a heater, the heat preservation box (5) is fixed on the lifting platform and is arranged side by side with the sealed box (41), the heater and the former (6) are both installed in the heat preservation box (5), and the discharge end of the former (6) penetrates through the heat preservation box (5) and is arranged corresponding to the low-temperature collection pool; The lifting platform comprises a workbench and a gas cylinder, the workbench is slidingly connected to the support in the lifting direction, the gas cylinder is installed on the support and one end of the lifting rod of the gas cylinder is fixedly connected to the bottom of the workbench, and the heat preservation box and the sealed box (41) are both fixed on the workbench. The cylinder can drive the workbench to lift, control the distance between the output end of the former (6) and the low-temperature collection pool, and further control the length of the double-layer tubular structure stretched from the discharge end of the former (6), and further control the size of the inner diameter and the outer diameter.

2. The system for preparing a hollow gel microtube according to claim 1, wherein The center support material feeding device (1) comprises a reagent bottle (11) containing center support material, a first support material plunger pump (12), and a three-way valve (13), the first port of the three-way valve (13) is in communication with the rodless cavity of the first support material plunger pump (12), the discharge end of the reagent bottle (11) is in communication with the second port of the three-way valve (13) through a feeding pipe, and the third port of the three-way valve (13) is in communication with the first inlet (61) of the former (6) through a feeding pipe.

3. The system for preparing a hollow gel microtube according to claim 2, wherein The center support material feeding device (1) further comprises a second support material plunger pump (14) and a three-way valve (15), the first port of the three-way valve (15) is in communication with the rodless cavity of the second support material plunger pump (14), the second port of the three-way valve (15) is in communication with the third port of the three-way valve (13) through a feeding pipe, and the third port of the three-way valve (15) is in communication with the first inlet (61) of the former (6) through a feeding pipe.

4. The system for preparing a hollow gel microtube according to claim 1, wherein The gel material feeding device (2) further comprises an air compressor (24), the air compressor (24) comprises a pressure pump (241), an air tank (242), and a pressure sensor, the pressure pump (241) is in communication with the air tank (242) through an air pipe, the air tank (242) is in communication with the reagent tank (21) through an air pipe, the pressure sensor is installed in the air tank (242), and an electromagnetic valve (244) is installed on the air pipe in communication between the air tank (242) and the reagent tank (21).

5. The system for making hollow gel microtubules according to claim 1, wherein The first temperature control device (4) further comprises a mixing pump, a liquid level sensor, a water tank (43), and a peristaltic pump (44), the mixing pump and the liquid level sensor are both installed in the sealed box (41), the water inlet end of the water inlet pipe (42) is in communication with the bottom of the water tank (43), and the peristaltic pump (44) is installed on the water inlet pipe (42).

6. A system for the preparation of hollow gel microtubules according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The external support material feeding device (3) comprises a liquid storage bottle (31) containing external support material, an external support material plunger pump (32), and a three-way valve (33), the first port of the three-way valve (33) is in communication with the rodless cavity of the external support material plunger pump (32), the discharge end of the liquid storage bottle (31) is in communication with the second port of the three-way valve (33) through a feeding pipe, and the third port of the three-way valve (33) is in communication with the third inlet (63) of the former (6) through a feeding pipe.

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