Sintered body with electrically conductive coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vaporizer units for electronic cigarettes and medication administration devices face issues with overheating, decomposition of materials, and complex designs due to localized heating, which can lead to reduced vapor generation and health risks from inhaling decomposition products.
Innovation Solution
A sintered body with an open porosity range of 10-90% is coated with an electrically conductive layer, ensuring even heating throughout the volume, reducing the need for capillary transport and minimizing overheating risks, while maintaining high adsorption capacity and mechanical stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a porous organic polymer is used as a liquid reservoir, then the liquid reservoir is easy to manufacture, but the polymer material may become too hot and decompose at high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining glass fibers (providing thermal stability and structural integrity) with a porous polymer matrix (providing liquid uptake and ease of manufacture). This composite structure allows the liquid reservoir to withstand high temperatures without decomposition while maintaining the manufacturing advantages of polymer-based materials.
2Reliability
If a minimum spacing is kept between the heating element and the liquid reservoir, then decomposition is avoided, but the vaporizer unit cannot be compactly designed
Solution Approach 1:
The glass fiber-reinforced polymer composite enables the liquid reservoir to be positioned closer to the heating element without risk of decomposition, as the glass fibers withstand high temperatures. This eliminates the need for excessive spacing while maintaining compact vaporizer design.
3Temperature
If glass fibers are used as a wick, then high temperature stability is achieved, but the individual glass fibers tend to break easily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds individual glass fibers within a continuous polymer matrix, creating a composite material where the polymer binds the brittle glass fibers together. This prevents fiber breakage and release while maintaining the high temperature stability of the glass fibers, eliminating the health risk of inhaling loose fibers.
4Strength
If wicks made of cellulose fibers, cotton or bamboo fibers are used, then the risk of breakage is lower, but they exhibit lower heat stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a glass fiber-reinforced polymer composite where the glass fibers provide the heat stability that cellulose, cotton, or bamboo fibers lack. The composite structure achieves both mechanical integrity and high temperature resistance, outperforming natural fiber wicks in thermal stability while maintaining adequate mechanical strength.
5Temperature
If the liquid reservoir is made of porous glasses or ceramics, then higher temperature stability is achieved, but the design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material that combines the thermal stability of glass (through glass fibers) with the manufacturing advantages of polymer processing. This allows the liquid reservoir to be produced using conventional polymer molding techniques rather than complex glass or ceramic fabrication processes, reducing design and manufacturing complexity while achieving high temperature stability.
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 solution enables efficient and consistent vaporization across the entire volume of the sintered body, reducing overheating and decomposition risks, enhancing the service life and safety of the vaporizer units while improving vapor generation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
coating the surface of the sintered body, including the surface of pores in the interior of the sintered body, with an electrically conductive coating
Implementation Method 2
The liquid reservoir contains a liquid which is usually a carrier liquid, such as propylene glycol or glycerol, in which additives are dissolved and/or, more generally, contained, such as fragrant and flavoring substances, and/or nicotine, and/or medications. The carrier liquid is bonded to the inner surface of the liquid reservoir by adsorption processes.
Implementation Method 3
the liquid stored in the liquid reservoir is vaporized by heating the/a heating element, desorbed from the wetted surface area of the liquid reservoir, and can be inhaled by the user
Data Source
AI summary
A porous sintered body with an electrically conductive coating is provided. The sintered body has an open porosity in a range from 10 to 90%. The electrically conductive coating is bonded to the surface of the pores and is part of a heating device in a vaporizer. The electrically conductive coating lines the pores located in the interior of the sintered body so that when the sintered body is electrically connected and a current is applied, the current flows at least partially through the interior of the sintered body so that the interior of the sintered body is heated. A method for producing a porous sintered body with an electrically conductive coating is also provided.