Liquid guide part, atomizer and preparation method of liquid guide part

Abstract

The invention discloses a liquid guide part, an atomizer and a preparation method of the liquid guide part, and belongs to the technical field of electronic atomization devices. In the embodiment of the invention, the liquid guide piece comprises the fiber material, the liquid guide rate of the fiber material in the first direction is higher than that in the second direction, the first direction is the direction from the liquid inlet end of the liquid guide piece to the liquid outlet end, and the second direction is the direction forming an included angle of 20 degrees with the first direction. The liquid guide rate of a fiber material in the liquid guide part in the first direction from the liquid inlet end of the liquid guide part to the liquid outlet end of the liquid guide part is controlled to be higher than the liquid guide rate in the direction forming the included angle of 20-90 degrees with the first direction, the anisotropic liquid guide characteristic of the liquid guide part is achieved, and a large number of straight and continuous anisotropic capillary channels can be constructed on the microscopic level; the liquid guide piece can quickly, directionally and efficiently convey atomized liquid from the liquid inlet end to the liquid outlet end, and therefore the comprehensive performance and user experience of the atomization system are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of electronic atomization technology, specifically relating to a liquid guiding component, an atomizer, and a method for preparing the liquid guiding component. Background Technology

[0002] In electronic atomizing devices, the liquid guide (cotton) is the core component of the atomizing system. Its core function is to stably and efficiently deliver the atomizing liquid from the storage unit to the heating element in the atomizing chamber.

[0003] Currently, liquid guiding components are mainly made of micron-sized cellulose fibers (such as cotton, linen, wood pulp fibers, etc.) through nonwoven processes such as carding, needle punching or hydroentangling to form fiber assemblies. The micron-sized fibers inside are usually distributed in a three-dimensional random or semi-random network, which can easily lead to non-optimized and inefficient liquid guiding paths, delayed liquid supply response, uneven wetting and waste of atomizing liquid, thereby accelerating performance degradation and shortening service life. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a liquid guiding component, an atomizer, and a method for preparing the liquid guiding component, at least to solve the problems of unreasonable liquid guiding paths in existing liquid guiding components, which easily lead to delayed liquid supply response, uneven wetting, and waste of atomizing liquid.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a liquid guiding component, the liquid guiding component comprising a fiber material, wherein the liquid guiding rate of the fiber material in a first direction is higher than the liquid guiding rate in a second direction, the first direction being the direction from the liquid inlet end of the liquid guiding component toward the liquid outlet end, and the second direction being a direction forming an angle of 20° to 90° with the first direction.

[0006] In one embodiment, at least 70% of the fiber material in the liquid guiding element is arranged nearly parallel along a first direction of the liquid guiding element.

[0007] In one embodiment, at least 70% of the fiber material in the liquid guiding element has an angle of less than 20° between its long axis and the first direction; Preferably, at least 70% of the fiber material in the liquid guiding component has an angle of less than 10° between its long axis and the first direction; Preferably, at least 85% of the fiber material in the liquid guiding component has an angle of less than 10° between its long axis and the first direction.

[0008] In one embodiment, the fiber material is nanofiber.

[0009] In one embodiment, the diameter of the nanofiber is 1~1000nm; and / or the diameter of the nanofiber is 50~500nm.

[0010] In one embodiment, the nanofiber material is selected from at least one of polylactic acid, polycaprolactone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylonitrile, cellulose acetate and their copolymers or blends.

[0011] In one embodiment, the liquid guiding element has pores, wherein: the porosity of the liquid guiding element is 70%~95%; and / or the pore diameter is 1~50μm.

[0012] In one embodiment, the liquid guiding component includes at least two liquid guiding layers stacked along the first direction, and the at least two liquid guiding layers include a first liquid guiding layer and a second liquid guiding layer. The diameter of the fiber material in the first liquid guiding layer is larger than the diameter of the fiber material in the second liquid guiding layer, the pore size in the first liquid guiding layer is larger than the pore size in the second liquid guiding layer, and the porosity in the first liquid guiding layer is larger than the porosity in the second liquid guiding layer.

[0013] In one embodiment, the liquid guiding component includes at least three liquid guiding layers stacked along the first direction, and the at least three liquid guiding layers include a third liquid guiding layer, a fourth liquid guiding layer, and a fifth liquid guiding layer; wherein, the diameter of the fiber material in the fourth liquid guiding layer is larger than the diameter of the fiber material in the third liquid guiding layer, and the diameter of the fiber material in the fifth liquid guiding layer is larger than the diameter of the fiber material in the fourth liquid guiding layer; the pore size in the third liquid guiding layer is larger than the pore size in the fourth liquid guiding layer, and the pore size in the fourth liquid guiding layer is larger than the pore size in the fifth liquid guiding layer; the porosity in the third liquid guiding layer is larger than the porosity in the fourth liquid guiding layer, and the porosity in the fourth liquid guiding layer is larger than the porosity in the fifth liquid guiding layer.

[0014] In one embodiment, the liquid guiding element is cylindrical, and the first direction is the radial direction or the central axis direction of the liquid guiding element; or The liquid guiding element is columnar, plate-shaped, or strip-shaped, and the first direction is the length direction or thickness direction of the liquid guiding element.

[0015] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide an atomizer, which has a liquid storage chamber, an atomizing chamber, and a liquid guiding component as described above. The liquid guiding component is disposed in the atomizing chamber and connected to the liquid storage chamber. The liquid guiding component is used to guide the atomizing matrix stored in the liquid storage chamber into the atomizing chamber for atomization.

[0016] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a method for preparing a liquid-conducting component, comprising: The fiber substrate is dissolved to form a spinning solution; The spinning solution is spun in a direction close to a first direction to form a fiber material to obtain a liquid guiding component; wherein the liquid guiding rate of the fiber material in the first direction is higher than the liquid guiding rate in the second direction, the first direction is the direction from the liquid inlet end of the liquid guiding component to the liquid outlet end, and the second direction is the direction that forms an angle of 20° to 90° with the first direction.

[0017] In one embodiment, the spinning process includes: Electrospinning is performed using either a high-speed rotating drum / shaft electrospinning method or a radial electric field-assisted electrospinning method.

[0018] In this embodiment, the liquid guiding component includes a fiber material. The liquid guiding rate of the fiber material in a first direction is higher than that in a second direction. The first direction is from the liquid inlet end of the liquid guiding component towards the liquid outlet end, and the second direction is at an angle of 20° to 90° with the first direction. By controlling the liquid guiding rate of the fiber material in the liquid guiding component to be higher in the first direction from the liquid inlet end to the liquid outlet end than in the direction at an angle of 20° to 90° with the first direction, anisotropic liquid guiding characteristics are achieved. This allows for the construction of numerous straight, continuous anisotropic capillary channels at the microscopic level, enabling the liquid guiding component to rapidly, directionally, and efficiently deliver the atomized liquid from the liquid inlet end to the liquid outlet end, thereby improving the overall performance of the atomization system and the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is one of the perspective views of a liquid guiding component provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a second perspective view of a liquid guiding component provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a third perspective view of a liquid guiding component provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 The fourth perspective view shows a liquid guiding component provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 Fifth perspective view of a liquid guiding component provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is the sixth perspective view of a liquid guiding component provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 express Figure 6 A partial sectional view; Figure 8 express Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the installation structure of the liquid guiding component shown; Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for preparing a liquid-conducting component according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of this application may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. Furthermore, "and / or" in the specification and claims indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0021] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0022] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0023] In the field of electronic atomization device technology, the liquid guide (cotton) is the core component of the atomization system. Its core function is to stably and efficiently deliver the atomized liquid from the storage unit to the heating element in the atomization chamber.

[0024] The applicant found that current liquid guiding components are mainly composed of micron-sized cellulose fibers (such as cotton, linen, wood pulp fibers, etc.) formed into fiber assemblies through nonwoven processes such as carding, needle punching, or hydroentangling. The micron-sized fibers inside are usually distributed in a three-dimensional random or semi-random network, with an isotropic microstructure, which easily leads to non-optimized and inefficient liquid guiding paths, delayed liquid supply response, uneven wetting, and waste of atomizing liquid, thereby accelerating performance degradation and shortening service life.

[0025] Specifically, because the conduction path of the atomizing liquid in an isotropic porous structure is tortuous, random, and disordered, the capillary force is dispersed in three-dimensional space, resulting in insufficient effective driving force along specific directions (e.g., from the liquid reservoir to the center of the heating element), thus limiting the overall liquid conduction rate.

[0026] Meanwhile, when using high-viscosity atomizing fluids (such as those with a high proportion of vegetable glycerol (VG), the limited capillary driving force is insufficient to overcome the significant flow resistance, resulting in a slow fluid supply response. Furthermore, during high-frequency or high-power atomization, the fluid supply rate cannot keep up with the consumption rate, easily leading to dry burning of the heating element, producing a burnt smell, severely damaging the user experience, and potentially generating harmful decomposition products.

[0027] Furthermore, the atomizing fluid tends to diffuse indiscriminately in all directions within the liquid guiding component, which may lead to oversaturation in areas far from the heating element, while the core heating zone suffers from insufficient fluid supply. This uneven wetting state not only affects atomization efficiency and stability but also results in ineffective fluid retention and waste.

[0028] To address the above issues, existing technologies mitigate the problem by improving raw materials, optimizing macroscopic structures, and introducing nanofibers. Improving raw materials, such as using high-end cellulose materials like combed long-staple cotton or organic cotton, or introducing non-cellulose materials like ceramics or metal mesh, primarily aims to increase material purity or change the heating method. However, for cellulose-based liquid-conducting components, the inherent randomness of fiber arrangement remains unchanged, thus the problem of isotropic liquid conduction persists. Optimizing macroscopic structures, such as using multilayer composites of cotton sheets with different densities or changing the cutting shape of the liquid-conducting cotton, cannot fundamentally alter the liquid transport path at the microscale, resulting in very limited improvement in liquid conduction efficiency. Introducing nanofibers involves randomly and irregularly combining nanofibers with other fibers or creating pure nanofiber mats. While this enhances overall capillary forces, the liquid conduction characteristics remain isotropic, failing to solve the problems of non-optimization and directional control of the liquid conduction path.

[0029] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a liquid guiding component 100, such as... Figures 1-7 As shown, the liquid guiding component 100 includes a fiber material. The liquid guiding rate of the fiber material 101 in the first direction a is higher than that in the second direction. The first direction is the direction from the liquid inlet end of the liquid guiding component 100 toward the liquid outlet end. The second direction is the direction that forms an angle of 20° to 90° with the first direction.

[0030] In this embodiment, the first direction a refers to the target transmission path direction from the liquid storage area to the heating element in the liquid guide, which is also the effective transmission direction.

[0031] In this embodiment, the liquid guiding component 100 is made of fiber material 101, and the liquid guiding rate of the fiber material in the liquid guiding component along the first direction is controlled to be higher than the liquid guiding rate in the direction that forms an angle of 20° to 90° with the first direction. This enables the liquid guiding component to achieve anisotropic liquid guiding characteristics, and can construct a large number of straight and continuous anisotropic capillary channels at the microscopic level. This allows the liquid guiding component to achieve rapid, directional and efficient delivery of atomized liquid from the liquid inlet end to the liquid outlet end, thereby fundamentally improving the overall performance of the atomization system and the user experience.

[0032] Therefore, the liquid guiding component 100 provided in this application embodiment can improve the problems of unreasonable liquid guiding path of existing liquid guiding components, which easily leads to delayed liquid supply response, uneven wetting and waste of atomizing liquid.

[0033] In some embodiments, the second direction is a direction that forms an angle of 70° to 90° with the first direction.

[0034] In some embodiments, the second direction can be a direction perpendicular to the first direction, that is, a direction that forms a 90° angle with the first direction.

[0035] In some embodiments, at least 70% of the fiber material in the liquid guiding member 100 is arranged nearly parallel to the first direction of the liquid guiding member, that is, at least 70% of the fiber material is arranged in an orderly manner in a way that is very close to being parallel to the first direction, but not completely ideally parallel, and the orientation of the fiber material is highly consistent and the directional deviation is very small.

[0036] In this embodiment, because the conduction speed of the atomized liquid along the orientation direction of the fiber material 101 is much faster than that in the vertical direction, and by controlling at least 70% of the fiber material 101 in the liquid guide 100 to be arranged in a near-parallel manner along the first direction a of the liquid guide 100, the vast majority of the fiber material 101 in the liquid guide 100 are oriented close to its main axis direction, that is, its main axis direction is taken as the aforementioned first direction a, thereby forming a large number of microscopically parallel, continuous and unobstructed capillary channels in the main axis direction, thereby giving the liquid guide 100 a liquid transport capacity along the main axis direction that is much greater than the liquid transport capacity perpendicular to the main axis direction, that is, exhibiting significant anisotropic liquid conduction characteristics. The anisotropic liquid transport channel can achieve an order-of-magnitude increase in liquid conduction rate and anisotropic control, realizing the transformation from "indiscriminate flooding" to "precision guidance"; At the same time, the powerful directional capillary driving force can instantly respond to the consumption of the heating element, and even high-viscosity atomizing liquid can be continuously and adequately supplied, fundamentally solving the problem of dry burning.

[0037] Furthermore, precise directional liquid supply ensures that the core area of ​​the heating element is always kept in the best immersion state, resulting in more complete and uniform atomization, more stable atomization volume, and a purer and fuller taste.

[0038] In addition, the highly oriented arrangement of the fiber material 101 also endows the liquid guide 100 with higher tensile strength and resistance to compression and collapse in the orientation direction, which significantly extends the service life of the liquid guide 100.

[0039] In some embodiments, at least 70% of the fiber material 101 in the liquid guide 100 has an angle of less than 20° between its long axis direction and the first direction a. The long axis direction is the direction along the fiber length from one end to the other, that is, along its length. This allows the majority of the fiber material 101 in the liquid guide 100 to be oriented at a small angle to the preset main axis direction (liquid path direction), thereby forming a main liquid transmission channel in the main axis direction. This enables the majority of the fiber material 101 in the liquid guide 100 to rapidly transmit atomized liquid mainly along a preset main axis direction.

[0040] In some embodiments, at least 70% of the fiber material 101 in the liquid guiding member 100 has an angle of less than 10° between its long axis and the first direction a, ensuring that most of the fiber material 101 in the liquid guiding member 100 is highly oriented along the target liquid guiding path direction, thereby forming a large number of microscopically parallel, continuous and unobstructed capillary channels in the main axis direction, thereby giving the liquid guiding member 100 a liquid transport capacity along the main axis direction that is much greater than the liquid transport capacity perpendicular to the main axis direction.

[0041] In some embodiments, at least 85% of the fiber material 101 in the liquid guiding component 100 has an angle of less than 10° between its long axis and the first direction a, ensuring that most of the fiber material 101 in the main liquid guiding functional area of ​​the liquid guiding component 100 is highly oriented along the main axis direction (i.e., the target liquid guiding path direction), thereby forming a large number of microscopically parallel, continuous and unobstructed capillary channels in the main axis direction, which facilitates the rapid and efficient transmission of the atomized liquid.

[0042] In some embodiments, the fiber material 101 is a nanofiber, thereby achieving anisotropic guiding characteristics of the liquid guiding component 100 and further enhancing the overall capillary force by utilizing the high specific surface area of ​​the nanomaterial. This enables the atomized liquid to be oriented, rapidly, and efficiently transported to the heating element in the atomization chamber for atomization, mainly along the target liquid guiding path.

[0043] In some embodiments, the diameter of the nanofibers is 1 to 1000 nm, which can utilize the huge specific surface area of ​​the nanofibers to enhance capillary forces by orders of magnitude.

[0044] In some embodiments, the diameter of the nanofibers is 50-500 nm, which can effectively balance capillary driving force, fiber spinnability, and structural strength. Optionally, the diameter of the nanofibers can be one or any two of the following: 50 nm, 55 nm, 60 nm, 80 nm, 100 nm, 150 nm, 200 nm, 300 nm, 400 nm, and 500 nm.

[0045] In some embodiments, the nanofibers are made of at least one of polylactic acid, polycaprolactone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylonitrile, cellulose acetate and their copolymers or blends, and are made of food grade or medical grade materials, and are suitable for deposition to form the liquid guiding component 100 by electrospinning, solution blowing, centrifugal spinning or melt spinning.

[0046] In some embodiments, the liquid guiding component 100 has pores, making it a porous matrix that facilitates the storage and delivery of atomized liquid. The porous structure provides numerous tiny voids (i.e., pores), which constitute a miniature warehouse capable of holding and storing the atomized liquid. Simultaneously, the interconnected pore network forms countless tiny capillary channels. Utilizing the adhesion between the atomized liquid molecules and the surface of the fiber material 101, as well as the surface tension of the atomized liquid itself, strong capillary forces are generated in these micrometer / nanometer-scale channels, driving the atomized liquid to overcome gravity and flow resistance, "climbing" from the storage area to the heating area.

[0047] In some embodiments, the porosity of the liquid guiding element 100 is 70% to 95%, for example, it can be a range of one or any two of 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, and 95%.

[0048] In this embodiment, considering that a higher porosity means more atomized liquid can be stored per unit volume of the liquid guiding component 100, but this will affect the overall structural strength, controlling the porosity of the liquid guiding component 100 to be 70%~95% can effectively improve the endurance and mechanical properties and structural stability of the liquid guiding component 100.

[0049] In some embodiments, the pore size of the fluid guiding element 100 is 1~50μm, which can achieve a balance between providing strong capillary driving force and maintaining low flow resistance, thus ensuring fluid guiding efficiency.

[0050] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1-3As shown, the liquid guiding component 100 includes at least two liquid guiding layers stacked along a first direction a, and the at least two liquid guiding layers include a first liquid guiding layer 11 and a second liquid guiding layer 12. The diameter of the fiber material 101 in the first liquid guiding layer 11 is larger than the diameter of the fiber material 101 in the second liquid guiding layer 12, the pore size in the first liquid guiding layer 11 is larger than the pore size in the second liquid guiding layer 12, and the porosity in the first liquid guiding layer 11 is greater than the porosity in the second liquid guiding layer 12.

[0051] In this embodiment of the application, the liquid guiding member 100, which is composed of at least two liquid guiding layers along the first direction a, can be cylindrical (e.g., ...). Figure 2 , 3 (as shown) or long strip (such as) Figure 1 (As shown).

[0052] In this embodiment, the first liquid guiding layer 11 is closer to the upstream of the first direction a (i.e., farther from the heating element in the atomizer) than the second liquid guiding layer 12, while the second liquid guiding layer 12 is closer to the downstream of the first direction a (i.e., closer to the heating element in the atomizer) than the first liquid guiding layer 11. By setting the diameter, porosity, and pore size of the fiber material 101 of the first liquid guiding layer 11 and the second liquid guiding layer 12 to decrease along the first direction a, the liquid storage capacity, conduction efficiency, and liquid supply pressure are optimized in a coordinated manner, thereby solving the inherent contradictions in the performance of a single homogeneous material.

[0053] In some embodiments, such as Figures 4-6 As shown, the liquid guiding component 100 includes at least three liquid guiding layers stacked along a first direction a. The at least three liquid guiding layers may include a third liquid guiding layer 13, a fourth liquid guiding layer 14, and a fifth liquid guiding layer 15. The diameter of the fiber material 101 in the fourth liquid guiding layer 14 is larger than the diameter of the fiber material 101 in the third liquid guiding layer 13, and the diameter of the fiber material 101 in the fifth liquid guiding layer 15 is larger than the diameter of the fiber material 101 in the fourth liquid guiding layer. The pore size in the third liquid guiding layer 13 is larger than the pore size in the fourth liquid guiding layer 14, and the pore size in the fourth liquid guiding layer 14 is larger than the pore size in the fifth liquid guiding layer 15. The porosity in the third liquid guiding layer 13 is greater than the porosity in the fourth liquid guiding layer 14, and the porosity in the fourth liquid guiding layer 14 is greater than the porosity in the fifth liquid guiding layer 15.

[0054] In this embodiment, the third liquid-guiding layer 13, located upstream of the first direction a, has a relatively large fiber diameter and a low packing density, forming a porous network with high porosity and large pore size. The high porosity provides the largest liquid storage space, and the large pore size reduces the resistance to liquid entry, enabling it to quickly and massively absorb atomized liquid from the storage chamber. The fourth liquid-guiding layer 14, located midway upstream of the first direction a, has physical parameters between the third liquid-guiding layer 13 and the fifth liquid-guiding layer 15, i.e., it has a moderate fiber diameter, packing density, and pore size, forming a transitional porous structure, thereby... As a connecting layer, it ensures that the atomizing liquid can smoothly enter the small-pore structure of the fifth liquid guiding layer 15 from the large-pore structure of the third liquid guiding layer 13, playing a connecting role. The fifth liquid guiding layer 15, located downstream of the first direction a, has the finest fiber diameter and the highest packing density, forming a dense network with low porosity and small pore size. It can generate the strongest capillary pressure using the smallest pore size, thereby providing the strongest and most timely liquid supply to the heating element. At the same time, the dense structure also gives it higher compression resistance, which can resist the pressure of the heating element in the atomization chamber, thus ensuring the smooth flow of the liquid guiding channel.

[0055] In some embodiments, the thickness of the third liquid guiding layer 13 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the fourth liquid guiding layer 14 and the thickness of the fifth liquid guiding layer 15, so as to ensure that the atomized liquid can smoothly enter the fifth liquid guiding layer 15 from the third liquid guiding layer 13 structure through the capillary action.

[0056] In some embodiments, the thickness of the third liquid guiding layer 13 can be 1.5~3.0 mm, the thickness of the fourth liquid guiding layer 14 can be 1.0~2.0 mm, and the thickness of the fifth liquid guiding layer 15 can be 0.5~1.5 mm.

[0057] In some embodiments, the liquid guiding member 100 is cylindrical, and the first direction a is the radial direction of the liquid guiding member 100, such as... Figures 6-7 As shown, the liquid guiding component 100 includes a third liquid guiding layer 13, a fourth liquid guiding layer 14 and a fifth liquid guiding layer 15, and the third liquid guiding layer 13, the fourth liquid guiding layer 14 and the fifth liquid guiding layer 15 are stacked sequentially from the outside to the inside to form a cylinder, and the first direction a is the radial direction of the liquid guiding component 100.

[0058] In this embodiment, such as Figure 8As shown, this radially oriented liquid guide 100 is placed outside the annular heating element 200 and fixed by the sleeve 300. Its entire outer circumferential surface can absorb atomized liquid from the storage tank 360 degrees without dead angles. The atomized liquid will simultaneously and quickly converge towards the center along the numerous radially arranged fiber materials 101 "liquid guide spokes", ensuring that the entire annular heating wire receives a uniform and sufficient immediate supply. This can solve the problem of uneven liquid supply to the annular heating wire by the traditional liquid guide 100, and the atomization starts quickly and is extremely uniform, thereby maximizing the performance of the annular or mesh heating element. In addition, because the radial fiber arrangement can effectively resist the radial pressure from the heating element, the above-mentioned cylindrical liquid guide 100 has better stability and can significantly extend its service life.

[0059] In some embodiments, the sleeve 300 may be a metal sleeve.

[0060] In some embodiments, the liquid guiding member 100 is cylindrical, and the first direction a is the direction of the central axis of the liquid guiding member 100. For example... Figure 5 The liquid guiding component 100 includes a third liquid guiding layer 13, a fourth liquid guiding layer 14, and a fifth liquid guiding layer 15. The third liquid guiding layer 13, the fourth liquid guiding layer 14, and the fifth liquid guiding layer 15 are all cylindrical and are stacked and connected in sequence to form a sleeve. The first direction a is the direction of the central axis of the liquid guiding component 100. In some embodiments, the liquid guiding component 100 is cylindrical.

[0061] In this embodiment, the cylindrical liquid guide 100 oriented along the central axis is installed in the atomizer. The main axis of the fiber material 101 can be aligned with the path from the liquid storage area to the heating element. After the atomized liquid contacts the liquid guide 100, it will be preferentially and rapidly conducted along the fiber orientation direction due to the strong driving force provided by the straight and continuous capillary channels, while diffusion to both sides is suppressed, which can ensure that the atomized liquid is efficiently and directly "delivered" to the heating area.

[0062] In some embodiments, the liquid guiding member 100 is columnar, plate-shaped, or strip-shaped, and the first direction a is the length direction or thickness direction of the liquid guiding member 100. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the liquid guiding component 100 includes a third liquid guiding layer 13, a fourth liquid guiding layer 14 and a fifth liquid guiding layer 15, and the third liquid guiding layer 13, the fourth liquid guiding layer 14 and the fifth liquid guiding layer 15 are stacked and arranged to form a cuboid, and the first direction a is the thickness direction of the cuboid.

[0063] In this embodiment, the columnar, plate-shaped, or strip-shaped liquid guide 100, which is oriented along the length or thickness direction of the liquid guide 100, is installed in the atomizer. The main axis of the fiber material 101 can be aligned with the path from the liquid storage area to the heating element. After the atomized liquid contacts the liquid guide 100, it will be preferentially and rapidly conducted along the fiber orientation direction due to the strong driving force provided by the straight and continuous capillary channels, while diffusion to both sides is suppressed. This ensures that the atomized liquid is efficiently and directly "delivered" to the heating area.

[0064] This application embodiment also provides a method for preparing a liquid guiding component, including steps 201 to 202: Step 201: Dissolve the fiber substrate to form a spinning solution; Step 202: Electrospin the spinning solution in a direction close to the first direction to form a fiber material to obtain a liquid guiding component; wherein, the liquid guiding rate of the fiber material in the first direction is higher than the liquid guiding rate in the second direction, the first direction is the direction from the liquid inlet end of the liquid guiding component to the liquid outlet end, and the second direction is the direction that forms an angle of 20° to 90° with the first direction.

[0065] In this embodiment, "near the first direction" refers to a direction that is very close to being parallel to the first direction, but not perfectly parallel; that is, it is highly consistent with the orientation of the first direction and has a very small directional deviation. Optionally, "near the first direction" refers to a direction whose angle with the first direction is less than 20°.

[0066] In this embodiment, the fiber substrate is first dissolved to form a spinning solution. Then, according to the effective arrangement goal that the liquid conduction rate of the fiber material in the first direction is higher than that in the second direction, the spinning solution is electrospun, solution blown, centrifugal spun, or melt spun in the direction from the liquid inlet end to the liquid outlet end to form fiber material, which is then deposited to form a liquid guide. This means that the liquid conduction rate of the fiber material in the liquid guide can be controlled to be higher than that in the second direction which is at an angle of 20° to 90° with the first direction. This enables the liquid guide to achieve anisotropic liquid conduction characteristics, and can construct a large number of straight and continuous anisotropic capillary channels at the microscopic level. This allows the liquid guide to achieve rapid, directional, and efficient delivery of the atomized liquid from the liquid inlet end to the liquid outlet end, thereby improving the overall performance of the atomization system and the user experience. This also improves the problems of unreasonable liquid conduction paths in existing liquid guides, which easily lead to delayed liquid supply response, uneven wetting, and waste of atomized liquid.

[0067] In some embodiments, in step 201 above, a biocompatible and easily processed polymer such as polylactic acid, polycaprolactone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylonitrile, cellulose acetate and its copolymers or blends can be used as the fiber substrate and dissolved in at least one of solvents such as dichloromethane, N,N-dimethylformamide, and tetrahydrofuran to form the above spinning solution. The mass percentage of the fiber substrate can be 8% to 15%, for example, it can be one of 8%, 10%, 12%, 15% or any two of them.

[0068] In some embodiments, the spinning process includes: Electrospinning is performed using either a high-speed rotating drum / shaft electrospinning method or a radial electric field-assisted electrospinning method.

[0069] In this embodiment, a high-speed rotating drum or a high-speed rotating shaft electrospinning method can be used to electrospin and form a liquid guiding component oriented along a single axis; wherein, when the liquid guiding component is cylindrical, the single axis orientation can be the direction of the central axis of the liquid guiding component; when the liquid guiding component is elongated, it can also be the direction of the long side of the liquid guiding component.

[0070] In some embodiments, when electrospinning to form a uniaxially oriented liquid guide using a high-speed rotating drum or high-speed rotating shaft electrospinning method, the spinning equipment is a conventional device in the art, comprising: a high-voltage DC power supply, an injection pump for stable delivery of the spinning solution, one or more metal spinning needles (nozzles), and a high-speed rotating metal cylinder (i.e., a rotating drum or rotating shaft) serving as a collector. During operation, a high voltage is applied between the spinning needles and the rotating collector to create an electric field, and the spinning solution is ejected from the needles under the influence of the electric field to form a jet. As the jet travels towards the collector, it is stretched and highly oriented along the tangential direction of the collector, and deposited, ultimately forming a nanofiber mat with a uniaxially oriented structure.

[0071] Example 1: (1) First, dissolve food-grade polylactic acid (PLA) particles in a mixed solvent of dichloromethane / N,N-dimethylformamide (DCM / DMF) to prepare a spinning solution with a mass fraction of 10%, and stir until clear and transparent to obtain the spinning solution; (2) The above spinning solution is loaded into a syringe with a metal needle and steadily propelled by a syringe pump at a rate of 1.0 mL / h; a metal roller with a diameter of 10 cm is used as a collector and rotated at a high linear velocity (e.g., more than 10 m / s, corresponding to a rotation speed of about 1900 RPM or more). At the same time, a high voltage DC current of 15-25 kV is applied between the spinning needle and the rotating roller, with a distance of 15 cm between them; under the combined action of the high voltage electric field and the high-speed rotating mechanical traction force, the ejected PLA nanofibers are fully stretched and oriented before reaching the surface of the roller and are deposited along the tangential direction of the roller to form a highly uniaxially oriented nanofiber pad. (3) The collected oriented nanofiber pads were dried in a vacuum oven at 40°C for 12 hours to completely remove residual solvent; (4) Cut the atomizing core into strips according to its size specifications. It can be used directly or rolled into a cylindrical shape.

[0072] In this embodiment, by further increasing the linear speed of the roller, a higher degree of fiber orientation can be obtained, thereby allowing for precise control of the anisotropy of the liquid guiding.

[0073] The liquid conductivity test was conducted using the liquid-conducting component prepared in Example 1 of this paper, and the results are shown in Table 1: Table 1

[0074] In this embodiment, a radially oriented liquid guide can be formed by electrospinning using a radial electric field assisted electrospinning method; wherein the liquid guide is cylindrical, and the fiber material inside it is arranged along the radial orientation of the liquid guide, that is, from the outer peripheral surface of the liquid guide to the central axis.

[0075] When using radial electric field-assisted electrospinning to form radially oriented liquid-conducting components, an electrode system is required to generate a radial electric field pointing from the outside in. This electrode system needs to create a strong potential difference between the central core electrode (acting as a collector) and one or more peripheral electrodes, causing the charged fiber jet to fly and deposit primarily along the radial electric field lines. In a specific, non-limiting embodiment, the system may employ a coaxial electrode layout.

[0076] In some embodiments, when using radial electric field-assisted electrospinning to form radially oriented liquid-conducting components, the spinning equipment, based on conventional electrospinning devices (including a high-voltage DC power supply, injection pump, spinning solution injector, and nozzle), employs a coaxial electrode layout for the electrode system, mainly consisting of an inner electrode and an outer electrode system. The inner electrode, acting as a collector, is a conductive mandrel, which can be a metal wire or rod with a diameter of 0.5~1.0 mm. This mandrel is reliably grounded during spinning, serving as the final collection substrate for the nanofibers. The outer electrode system consists of one or more annular metal electrodes, concentrically arranged with the inner electrode (collecting mandrel), i.e., concentrically surrounding the inner electrode. The spinning nozzle can be located on one side of the annular electrode or within the central hole of the annular electrode, and its nozzle always points towards the inner electrode (collecting mandrel).

[0077] Example 2: (1) Polycaprolactone (PCL) was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) to prepare a 12 wt% spinning solution; (2) Construct an electrode system that generates a radial electric field pointing from the outside in: A coaxial electrode layout is adopted, with the inner electrode being a grounded metal wire or metal rod with a diameter of 0.5-1.0 mm, serving as the collection core of the nanofibers; while the outer electrode is one or more annular electrodes, concentrically surrounding the inner electrode, and connected to the same high voltage potential (e.g. +15 kV) with the spinning nozzle; the spinning nozzle (connected to +15 kV) is located on one side or in the center of the annular electrode. Spinning process: After the spinning solution is ejected from the nozzle, the positively charged fiber jet is simultaneously subjected to the repulsive force from the outer ring electrode and the attractive force from the grounded inner core shaft, which forces the fiber jet to fly along the electric field lines and deposit on the central core shaft, thereby forming a structure in which nanofibers are arranged radially. By slowly pulling the core shaft out along its axial direction, long strip-shaped liquid guiding components with radial orientation structures can be continuously prepared. (3) The collected oriented nanofiber pads were dried in a vacuum oven at 40°C for 12 hours to completely remove residual solvent; (4) Cut the atomizing core to the required length according to its size specifications to obtain a cylindrical liquid guide with radial transmission.

[0078] The liquid-conducting component prepared in Example 2 was used for liquid conductivity testing, and the results are shown in Table 2:

[0079] This application provides an atomizer having a liquid storage chamber, an atomizing chamber, and a liquid guiding component as described above. The liquid guiding component is disposed in the atomizing chamber and connected to the liquid storage chamber. The liquid guiding component is used to guide the atomizing liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber into the atomizing chamber for atomization.

[0080] In this embodiment, the atomizing liquid, the storage chamber, and the atomizing chamber can all adopt existing designs.

[0081] In this embodiment, the atomizer includes a liquid guiding element, wherein the liquid guiding rate of the fiber material in the liquid guiding element along a first direction from the liquid inlet end to the liquid outlet end is higher than the liquid guiding rate in a direction at a 20° angle to the first direction, thereby realizing the anisotropic liquid guiding characteristics of the liquid guiding element. This enables the construction of a large number of straight and continuous anisotropic capillary channels at the microscopic level, allowing the liquid guiding element to achieve rapid, directional, and efficient delivery of the atomized liquid from the liquid inlet end to the liquid outlet end, thereby improving the overall performance of the atomization system and the user experience.

[0082] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0083] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this application, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A liquid guiding component, characterized in that, The liquid guiding component includes a fiber material, and the liquid guiding rate of the fiber material in a first direction is higher than that in a second direction. The first direction is the direction from the liquid inlet end of the liquid guiding component to the liquid outlet end, and the second direction is the direction that forms an angle of 20° to 90° with the first direction.

2. The liquid guiding component according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least 70% of the fiber material in the liquid guiding element is arranged nearly parallel to the first direction of the liquid guiding element; or In the fluid guiding component, at least 70% of the fiber material has an angle of less than 20° between its long axis and the first direction.

3. The liquid guiding component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fiber material is nanofiber, wherein: The nanofibers have a diameter of 1~1000 nm; and / or The nanofibers are made of at least one of polylactic acid, polycaprolactone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylonitrile, cellulose acetate and their copolymers or blends.

4. The liquid guiding component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The liquid guiding element has pores, wherein: The porosity of the liquid guiding component is 70%~95%; and / or the pore size is 1~50μm.

5. The liquid guiding component according to claim 4, characterized in that, The liquid guiding component includes at least two liquid guiding layers stacked along the first direction, and the at least two liquid guiding layers include a first liquid guiding layer and a second liquid guiding layer. The diameter of the fiber material in the first liquid guiding layer is larger than the diameter of the fiber material in the second liquid guiding layer. The pore size in the first liquid guiding layer is larger than the pore size in the second liquid guiding layer. The porosity in the first liquid guiding layer is larger than the porosity in the second liquid guiding layer.

6. The liquid guiding component according to claim 4, characterized in that, The liquid guiding component includes at least three liquid guiding layers stacked along the first direction, and the at least three liquid guiding layers include a third liquid guiding layer, a fourth liquid guiding layer, and a fifth liquid guiding layer; wherein, the diameter of the fiber material in the fourth liquid guiding layer is larger than the diameter of the fiber material in the third liquid guiding layer, and the diameter of the fiber material in the fifth liquid guiding layer is larger than the diameter of the fiber material in the fourth liquid guiding layer; the pore size in the third liquid guiding layer is larger than the pore size in the fourth liquid guiding layer, and the pore size in the fourth liquid guiding layer is larger than the pore size in the fifth liquid guiding layer; the porosity in the third liquid guiding layer is larger than the porosity in the fourth liquid guiding layer, and the porosity in the fourth liquid guiding layer is larger than the porosity in the fifth liquid guiding layer.

7. The liquid guiding component according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The liquid guiding component is cylindrical, and the first direction is the radial direction or the central axis direction of the liquid guiding component; or The liquid guiding component is columnar, plate-shaped, or strip-shaped, and the first direction is the length direction or thickness direction of the liquid guiding component.

8. An atomizer, characterized in that, The atomizer has a liquid storage chamber, an atomizing chamber, and a liquid guiding component as described in any one of claims 1 to 7. The liquid guiding component is disposed in the atomizing chamber and connected to the liquid storage chamber. The liquid guiding component is used to guide the atomizing matrix stored in the liquid storage chamber into the atomizing chamber for atomization.

9. A method for preparing a liquid-conducting component, characterized in that, include: The fiber substrate is dissolved to form a spinning solution; The spinning solution is spun in a direction close to a first direction to form a fiber material to obtain a liquid guiding component; wherein the liquid guiding rate of the fiber material in the first direction is higher than the liquid guiding rate in the second direction, the first direction is the direction from the liquid inlet end of the liquid guiding component to the liquid outlet end, and the second direction is the direction that forms an angle of 20° to 90° with the first direction.

10. The preparation method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The spinning process includes: Electrospinning is performed using either a high-speed rotating drum / shaft electrospinning method or a radial electric field-assisted electrospinning method.

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