Gastight Body for Container Inner Surface Functionalization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for fluorinating the inner surfaces of large plastic containers are inefficient and wasteful, particularly for containers with volumes between 1 m³ and 60 m³, as they require flooding the entire container with fluorine gas, leading to excessive use of reactive gases due to the unfavorable surface-to-volume ratio.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that introduce a gastight body into the container to create a smaller intermediate space, allowing for direct and efficient application of a treatment gas, such as a fluorine or chlorine gas mixture, reducing the volume into which the gas is fed and minimizing the amount of reactive gas needed for functionalization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire container volume is flooded with fluorine gas for off-line fluorination, then the inner surface can be functionalized, but the consumption of treatment gas becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The container interior is segmented into two distinct spaces: a small intermediate space where treatment gas is concentrated, and the remaining container volume. This segmentation allows the treatment gas to be confined to only the necessary area for surface functionalization, dramatically reducing overall gas consumption while maintaining functionalization effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The treatment gas is locally concentrated in the intermediate space between the gastight body and the inner surface, rather than being distributed throughout the entire container volume. This local concentration ensures high gas effectiveness at the treatment site while minimizing waste in areas where functionalization is not occurring.
2Quantity of substance
If a gastight body is introduced to create an intermediate space, then treatment gas consumption is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gastight body serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a barrier to confine treatment gas, provides a spacing structure to create the intermediate space, and can be removed after treatment. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gastight body is designed as a simple, inexpensive structure that can be easily introduced and removed. Its temporary nature and simplicity mean that while it adds to device complexity, the complexity is minimal and the structure can be easily replaced or discarded after use.
3Quantity of substance
If the intermediate space volume is reduced for better gas efficiency, then the surface-to-volume ratio improves, but the ease of introducing the gastight body decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The gastight body is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to be flexible or collapsible during introduction, and then expand or take its final form once positioned. This dynamic design enables the body to pass through openings more easily while still maintaining the required intermediate space configuration for efficient gas treatment.
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
This approach significantly reduces the consumption of treatment gas and enhances the efficiency of surface functionalization by allowing direct contact of the gas with the inner surface, achieving uniform fluorination while minimizing gas usage and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
the at least partial replacement of hydrogen atoms in plastic surfaces by other atoms, for example fluorine or chlorine
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method and a device (5) for functionalizing an inner surface (1) of a container (2). The method comprises the following steps: - introducing a gastight body (3) into the container (2), so that an intermediate space (4) is formed between the inner surface (1) and the gastight body (3), - feeding a treatment gas, which comprises at least fluorine or chlorine, into the intermediate space (4). Before feeding the treatment gas in, the size of the gastight body (3) may be modified so that the intermediate space (4) has a predetermined volume. With the device 5 according to the invention and the method according to the invention, the consumption of treatment gas for functionalizing large containers 2 can be reduced drastically and uniform fluorination of the inner surface 1 of the container 2 can be achieved.