A slingshot effect electrospinning device and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of electrospinning, and discloses a gravitational slingshot effect electrospinning device and method. The electrospinning device includes an extruder, a temperature control device, a receiving device, a moving electric field device, and a driving device. A nozzle is installed at the discharging end of the extruder; the temperature control device is used to control the temperature of the nozzle. The extruder and the nozzle are respectively arranged at both ends of the temperature control device, and the extruder is located above the nozzle; the receiving device is electrically connected to a first high-voltage electrostatic generator, and the receiving device is arranged corresponding to the nozzle; a bearing is fixedly sleeved on the upper end of the nozzle, and the moving electric field device is rotationally connected to the nozzle through the bearing. The moving electric field device is used to change the direction of the fiber jet ejected from the nozzle; the driving device is used to drive the moving electric field device to rotate. By rotating the metal ball around the axis, the fiber jet is horizontally stressed and stretched outward during the falling process, and the problems of insufficient and uneven stretching of existing fibers and easy damage of equipment are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electrostatic spinning, and in particular to a gravitational slingshot effect electrostatic spinning device and method. Background Art

[0002] Electrospinning technology refers to a method of using high-voltage static electricity to charge and deform a polymer solution or melt, generating a Taylor cone at the sharp end of the nozzle, and the Taylor cone forms a jet to prepare fibers. Compared with solution electrospinning, melt electrospinning has the advantages of high fiber output efficiency, no solvent pollution, and high fiber strength, and has industrial prospects. This technology has received widespread attention from academia and industry. Due to the high melt viscosity, the prepared fiber has a large diameter, mostly greater than 1μm, which limits the application of melt electrospinning fibers in high-end fields such as tissue engineering, biomedicine, and sensors. Therefore, reducing the fiber diameter is one of the problems that need to be solved in the field of melt differential electrospinning.

[0003] In the past, the method of reducing the fiber diameter was usually based on airflow assistance and increasing the voltage while increasing the spacing. The airflow assistance caused insufficient and uneven fiber stretching, and increasing the voltage could easily damage the equipment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a gravitational slingshot effect electrospinning device and method to solve the problems of insufficient and uneven fiber stretching and easy damage to the equipment. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a gravitational slingshot effect electrospinning device and method to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gravitational slingshot effect electrospinning device, comprising:

[0006] An extruder, wherein a nozzle is installed at the discharge end of the extruder;

[0007] A temperature control device, the temperature control device is used to control the temperature of the nozzle, the extruder and the nozzle are respectively arranged at two ends of the temperature control device, and the extruder is located above the nozzle;

[0008] A receiving device, the receiving device is electrically connected to a first high-voltage electrostatic generator, and the receiving device is arranged corresponding to the nozzle;

[0009] A mobile electric field device, the mobile electric field device is rotatably connected to the upper end of the nozzle, and the mobile electric field device is used to change the direction of the fiber jet ejected by the nozzle;

[0010] A driving device is used to drive the mobile electric field device to rotate.

[0011] Preferably, the mobile electric field device includes a small ball holder rotatably connected to the nozzle, an insulating sleeve is installed at the bottom end of the small ball holder, a metal ball is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the insulating sleeve, and the metal ball is located below the nozzle; a wire is passed through the insulating sleeve, a second high-voltage electrostatic generator is fixedly connected to the top end of the small ball holder, and the second high-voltage electrostatic generator is electrically connected to the metal ball through the wire.

[0012] Preferably, the driving device comprises a motor, an output shaft of the motor is connected to a pinion gear via a coupling, a large gear is coaxially fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the small ball holder, and the large gear meshes with the small gear.

[0013] Preferably, the number of the metal balls is not less than two, a plurality of the metal balls are arranged along the length direction of the insulating sleeve, two adjacent metal balls are connected via the insulating sleeve, and a plurality of the metal balls are connected in series via the wire.

[0014] Preferably, the temperature of the nozzle is controlled at 180°C-240°C.

[0015] Preferably, the top end of the insulating sleeve is detachably connected with an angle adjustment piece, the angle adjustment piece located at the top is fixedly installed at the bottom end of the small ball holder, and the remaining angle adjustment pieces are fixedly connected to the metal ball, and the angle adjustment piece is used to adjust the angle between the metal ball and the central axis of the small ball holder.

[0016] Preferably, the angle adjustment member includes an articulated seat, and the articulated seats of several of the angle adjustment members are respectively fixedly mounted on the corresponding small ball holder and the metal ball; a light rod bolt is threadedly connected to the articulated seat, and the insulating sleeve is hinged to the articulated seat through the light rod bolt; a sliding sleeve on the light rod bolt is provided with two anti-slip pads, and the two anti-slip pads are respectively arranged on both sides of the insulating sleeve; a fastening bolt is threadedly connected to the articulated seat, and the anti-slip pad abuts against the insulating sleeve through the fastening bolt; and the end of the insulating sleeve close to the light rod bolt is a flat structure.

[0017] A method for using a gravitational slingshot effect electrospinning device comprises the following steps:

[0018] S1. Check and clean the spinning device. After the use requirements are met, adjust the swing angle of the metal ball to the specified angle;

[0019] S2, adding spinning raw materials into the extruder, and supplying power to the spinning device to make the spinning raw materials molten;

[0020] S3. Spinning: After heating the nozzle to the specified temperature using the temperature control device, the molten spinning raw material is fed into the nozzle by the extruder. The molten spinning raw material is distributed at the tip below the nozzle under the action of its own gravity and extrusion pressure, forming a melt thin layer. At the same time, the driving device is used to drive the ball holder to drive the metal ball to rotate. Two high-voltage electrostatic generators are turned on, and a fiber jet is formed under the combined action of the two electric fields.

[0021] S4. After the spinning is completed, turn off the spinning device and cut off the power supply of the spinning device.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and technical effects:

[0023] The gravitational slingshot effect electrospinning device provided by the present invention realizes the gravitational slingshot effect through the metal ball. By rotating the metal ball around the axis, the direction of the electric field force of the electric field generated by the metal ball is changed, so that the fiber jet is horizontally stressed and stretched outward during the falling process, thereby playing a role in refining the fiber, increasing the fiber distribution range, and improving the product quality. The present invention is applicable to all electrospinning, whether it is melt electrospinning or solution electrospinning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0025] Figure 1 It is the overall structure diagram of the gravitational slingshot effect electrospinning device of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 It is the connection schematic diagram of the ball holder and the bearing of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 It is the distribution diagram of the multi-stage gravitational slingshot effect superimposed metal balls of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 It is the schematic diagram of the solution electrospinning of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 It is the structural schematic diagram of the angle adjusting member of the present invention;

[0030] Among them: 1. extruder; 2. temperature control device; 3. large gear; 4. nozzle; 5. motor; 6. small gear; 7. metal ball; 8. fiber jet; 9. receiving device; 10. bearing; 11. small ball holder; 12. insulating sleeve; 13. hinge seat; 14. bare rod bolt; 15. anti-slip pad; 16. fastening bolt; 17. first high-voltage electrostatic generator; 18. second high-voltage electrostatic generator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. The described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0032] The present invention provides a gravitational slingshot effect electrospinning device, comprising:

[0033] An extruder 1, a nozzle 4 is installed at the discharge end of the extruder 1, and the nozzle 4 is a melt differential nozzle;

[0034] The temperature control device 2 is used to control the temperature of the nozzle 4. The extruder 1 and the nozzle 4 are respectively arranged at two ends of the temperature control device 2, and the extruder 1 is located above the nozzle 4;

[0035] A receiving device 9, the receiving device 9 is electrically connected to a first high-voltage electrostatic generator 17, and the receiving device 9 is arranged corresponding to the nozzle 4;

[0036] The mobile electric field device is provided with a bearing 10 on the upper fixed sleeve of the nozzle 4. The bearing 10 is a roller bearing. The mobile electric field device is rotatably connected to the nozzle 4 through the bearing 10. The mobile electric field device is used to change the direction of the fiber jet 8 ejected from the nozzle 4.

[0037] The driving device is used to drive the mobile electric field device to rotate.

[0038] Furthermore, the mobile electric field device includes a small ball holder 11 coaxially fixedly connected to the outer ring of the bearing 10, an insulating sleeve 12 is installed at the bottom end of the small ball holder 11, and a metal ball 7 is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the insulating sleeve 12, and the metal ball 7 is located below the nozzle 4; a wire is passed through the insulating sleeve 12, and a second high-voltage electrostatic generator 18 is fixedly connected to the top of the small ball holder 11, and the second high-voltage electrostatic generator 18 is electrically connected to the metal ball 7 through the wire.

[0039] Further, the driving device includes a motor 5. A small gear 6 is connected to the output shaft of the motor 5 through a coupling. A large gear 3 is coaxially and fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the small ball holder 11. The large gear 3 meshes with the small gear 6.

[0040] Further, the number of metal balls 7 can be arranged from one to multiple according to actual needs. When the number of metal balls 7 is greater than one, several metal balls 7 are arranged along the length direction of the insulating sleeve 12. Adjacent two metal balls 7 are connected through the insulating sleeve 12, and several metal balls 7 are connected in series through wires.

[0041] Further, the temperature of the nozzle 4 is controlled at 180°C - 240°C. After the spinning raw material melts, too low a temperature will increase the melt viscosity, and too high a temperature will cause melt degradation, both of which are not conducive to the production of the fiber jet 8.

[0042] Further, an angle adjusting member is detachably connected to the top end of the insulating sleeve 12. The angle adjusting member located at the uppermost part is fixedly installed at the bottom end of the small ball holder 11, and the remaining angle adjusting members are fixedly connected to the metal balls 7. The angle adjusting member is used to adjust the included angle between the metal ball 7 and the central axis of the small ball holder 11.

[0043] Further, the angle adjusting member includes a hinge seat 13. The hinge seats 13 of several angle adjusting members are respectively fixedly installed on the corresponding small ball holder 11 and metal ball 7. A smooth rod bolt 14 is threadedly connected to the hinge seat 13. The insulating sleeve 12 is hinged to the hinge seat 13 through the smooth rod bolt 14. Two anti-slip pads 15 are slidably sleeved on the smooth rod bolt 14. The two anti-slip pads 15 are respectively arranged on both sides of the insulating sleeve 12. A fastening bolt 16 is threadedly connected to the hinge seat 13. The anti-slip pad 15 abuts against the insulating sleeve 12 through the fastening bolt 16. One end of the insulating sleeve 12 close to the smooth rod bolt 14 is of a flat structure.

[0044] The electrostatic spinning device with the gravity assist effect provided by the present invention has the following working principle: Plastic solid particles are melted and plasticized by an extruder 1 and enter the inner gap of a nozzle 4 through an inlet. The extruder 1 and the melt differential nozzle are fixedly connected to the upper and lower ends of a temperature control device 2. The inner ring of a roller bearing is fixed to the upper end of the melt differential nozzle 4 and is coaxially installed with the melt differential nozzle 4. A small ball holder 11 is coaxially fixed to the outer circle of the roller bearing. A large gear 3 is coaxially fixed to the outer end of the small ball holder 11. The large gear 3 meshes with a small gear 6. The small gear 6 is connected to a motor 5 through a coupling. A receiving plate and a metal ball 7 are respectively connected to different high-voltage electrostatic generators. The high-voltage electrostatic generators are turned on to make the melt at the tip of the lower edge of the nozzle 4 be inductively charged. Under the action of the electric field force, a fiber jet 8 is formed. At the same time, the angle between the insulating sleeve 12 and the central axis is adjusted. The motor 5 is started to drive the metal ball 7 to move uniformly around the central axis at an appropriate speed, thereby changing the direction of the electric field force of the electric field of the metal ball 7. The fiber jet 8 is stretched towards the charged metal ball 7, increasing the lateral stretching distance of the fiber jet 8 during the falling process, making the fiber jet 8 thinner, and finally depositing on the receiving plate of the receiving device 9.

[0045] For single-needle solution electrostatic spinning, a polymer solution is charged with high-voltage static electricity. The charged polymer droplets are accelerated at the apex of the Taylor cone of a capillary under the action of the electric field force to form a fiber jet 8. The metal ball 7 and the fiber carry opposite charges. The rapidly falling fiber is attracted by the charged metal ball 7, and the fiber jet 8 is stretched under the action of the electric field force.

[0046] In the present invention, by installing a metal ball 7 that swings around an axis and is connected to high-voltage static electricity in the electrostatic spinning device, the melt electrostatic spinning technology is combined with the gravity assist effect to achieve the effect of reducing the fiber diameter. The falling jet is compared to an aircraft, the metal ball 7 that swings around an axis is compared to a planet, and the electric field force acts as gravity. The gravitational field generated by the metal ball 7 rotating around the axis at high speed accelerates the jet, realizing the superimposed stretching of the fiber in the horizontal and vertical directions, thereby reducing the fiber diameter. Therefore, when several charged metal balls 7 are added at different heights, multiple stretching of the fiber jet 8 can be achieved, which can reduce the fiber diameter to the greatest extent, improve the porosity and specific surface area of the product, and increase the fiber distribution diameter while the fiber is thinned due to the stretching effect of the electric field force. Compared with other jet stretching methods such as air flow, the present invention can significantly solve the problems of insufficient and uneven fiber stretching and is not easily damaged to the equipment.

[0047] A method for using an electrostatic spinning device with the gravity assist effect includes the following steps:

[0048] S1. Inspect and clean the spinning device. After meeting the usage requirements, adjust the swing angle of the metal ball 7 to a specified angle;

[0049] S2. Add the spinning raw materials into the extruder 1 and supply power to the spinning device to make the spinning raw materials in a molten state;

[0050] S3. Spinning: After heating the nozzle 4 to a specified temperature by the temperature control device 2, supply the molten spinning raw materials into the nozzle 4 by the extruder 1. The molten spinning raw materials are distributed at the tip below the nozzle 4 under the action of its own gravity and extrusion pressure to form a melt thin layer. Turn on the first high-voltage electrostatic generator 17 and adjust the voltage to form a stable and uniform fiber jet 8 at the tip of the nozzle 4;

[0051] Then, drive the small ball holder 11 to move by the driving device to drive the metal ball 7 to rotate around the central axis of the nozzle 4; then turn on the second high-voltage electrostatic generator 18. The metal ball 7 carries high-voltage static electricity to exert an attractive force on the jet, driving the fiber jet 8 to change its position and shape. The receiving device 9 has a greater attractive force on the fiber jet 8 than the metal ball 7 does on the fiber jet 8. Finally, the fiber jet 8 falls onto the surface of the receiving device 9 under the combined action of the two electric field forces and cools and solidifies into fibers during the falling process;

[0052] S4. After the spinning is completed, turn off the spinning device and cut off the power supply of the spinning device.

[0053] The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A gravitational slingshot effect electrospinning device, characterized in that, include: An extruder (1), wherein a nozzle (4) is installed at the discharge end of the extruder (1); a temperature control device (2), the temperature control device (2) being used to control the temperature of the nozzle (4), the extruder (1) and the nozzle (4) being respectively arranged at two ends of the temperature control device (2), and the extruder (1) being located above the nozzle (4); A receiving device (9), the receiving device (9) being electrically connected to a first high-voltage electrostatic generator (17), the receiving device (9) being arranged corresponding to the nozzle (4); A mobile electric field device, the mobile electric field device being rotatably connected to the upper end of the nozzle (4), the mobile electric field device being used to change the direction of the fiber jet (8) ejected from the nozzle (4); A driving device, the driving device is used to drive the mobile electric field device to rotate; The mobile electric field device comprises a small ball holder (11) rotatably connected to the nozzle (4); an insulating sleeve (12) is installed at the bottom end of the small ball holder (11); a metal ball (7) is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the insulating sleeve (12); the metal ball (7) is located below the nozzle (4); a wire is passed through the insulating sleeve (12); a second high-voltage electrostatic generator (18) is fixedly connected to the top end of the small ball holder (11); the second high-voltage electrostatic generator (18) is electrically connected to the metal ball (7) via the wire; The number of the metal balls (7) is not less than two, a plurality of the metal balls (7) are arranged along the length direction of the insulating sleeve (12), two adjacent metal balls (7) are connected via the insulating sleeve (12), and a plurality of the metal balls (7) are connected in series via the wire; The top end of the insulating sleeve (12) is detachably connected to an angle adjustment piece, the angle adjustment piece located at the top is fixedly mounted on the bottom end of the small ball holder (11), and the remaining angle adjustment pieces are fixedly connected to the metal ball (7), and the angle adjustment pieces are used to adjust the angle between the metal ball (7) and the central axis of the small ball holder (11); The angle adjustment member comprises an articulated seat (13), wherein a plurality of articulated seats (13) of the angle adjustment members are respectively fixedly mounted on the corresponding small ball holder (11) and the metal ball (7), wherein a light rod bolt (14) is threadedly connected to the articulated seat (13), wherein the insulating sleeve (12) is articulated with the articulated seat (13) via the light rod bolt (14), wherein the sliding sleeve on the light rod bolt (14) is provided with two anti-skid pads (15), wherein the two anti-skid pads (15) are respectively arranged on both sides of the insulating sleeve (12), wherein a fastening bolt (16) is threadedly connected to the articulated seat (13), wherein the anti-skid pad (15) is abutted against the insulating sleeve (12) via the fastening bolt (16), and wherein the end of the insulating sleeve (12) close to the light rod bolt (14) is a flat structure.

2. The electrostatic spinning device with gravity assist effect according to claim 1, wherein The driving device comprises a motor (5), the output shaft of the motor (5) being connected to a pinion gear (6) via a coupling, a large gear (3) being coaxially fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the small ball holder (11), and the large gear (3) being meshed with the small gear (6).

3. The electrostatic spinning device with gravity assist effect according to claim 1, wherein The temperature of the nozzle (4) is controlled at 180°C-240°C.

4. The method for using the gravity slingshot effect electrospinning device according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The following steps are involved: S1. Check and clean the spinning device. After the spinning device meets the use requirements, adjust the swing angle of the metal ball (7) to a specified angle; S2, adding spinning raw materials into the extruder (1), and supplying power to the spinning device to make the spinning raw materials molten; S3, spinning, after the nozzle (4) is heated to a specified temperature by the temperature control device (2), the spinning raw material in a molten state is supplied to the nozzle (4) by the extruder (1), and the spinning raw material in a molten state is distributed at the tip below the nozzle (4) under the action of its own gravity and extrusion force to form a thin melt layer; at the same time, the ball holder (11) is driven by the driving device to drive the metal ball (7) to rotate; Turn on two high-voltage electrostatic generators to form a fiber jet under the combined force of the two electric fields (8); S4. After the spinning is completed, the spinning device is turned off and the power supply of the spinning device is cut off.

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