Cooking Release Sheet Coating with Nucleation Structures for Splatter Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercially prepackaged and prepared foods, particularly meat products, pose challenges during cooking due to grease splatter, which leads to sanitation issues, increased cleaning efforts, and safety hazards from hot grease splatter.
Innovation Solution
A cooking sheet material with a low surface energy polymer, such as fluoropolymer, and nucleation structures like voids or fractures, which reduces adhesion and promotes evaporation, minimizing splatter by initiating small bubbles and limiting superheating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a low surface energy polymer coating is applied to the cooking surface, then non-stick properties are improved, but grease splatter increases due to superheating of water coated by grease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a porous coating layer over the low surface energy polymer coating. The porous structure provides nucleation sites for water vapor bubbles, preventing superheating and reducing grease splatter while maintaining the non-stick properties of the underlying polymer layer
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite coating system combining a low surface energy polymer layer (for non-stick properties) with a porous top layer (for splatter reduction). This composite structure integrates the benefits of both materials to resolve the contradiction between non-stick performance and splatter control
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a porous coating layer with nucleation structures is added, then grease splatter is reduced by promoting evaporation, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the surface parameters of the coating by introducing nucleation structures with specific size ranges (0.1-10 micrometers) and densities (10-10,000 per square inch). These parameter changes enable controlled evaporation and splatter reduction while maintaining a relatively simple two-layer coating structure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sheet material effectively reduces grease splatter, maintaining a clean cooking surface, enhancing safety by minimizing the risk of burns and fires, while maintaining non-stick properties and durability under strenuous cooking conditions.
Implementation Method 1
promotes evaporation, minimizing splatter by initiating small bubbles and limiting superheating
Implementation Method 2
nucleation structures like voids or fractures, which reduces adhesion and promotes evaporation, minimizing splatter by initiating small bubbles
Implementation Method 3
A cooking sheet material with a low surface energy polymer, such as fluoropolymer
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking release material includes a layer comprising fluoropolymer. The cooking release material has a major surface having nucleation structures in a density of at least 10 per square inch. The cooking release material can include a reinforcement material, the layer coated over the reinforcement material. The cooking release material can include a second layer forming the major surface.