Tilted Nozzle Polymer Microparticle Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing polymer microparticles, such as polysaccharide beads, involve environmentally unfriendly solvents and require intensive washing, which is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A method involving spraying a thermally-gelling agarose solution from a nozzle at a tilted angle into air to form gelled microparticles, collected using multiple units with different distances from the nozzle, allowing for controlled particle size distribution without the need for harmful solvents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If emulsion processes with hydrophobic solvents are used to produce polysaccharide beads, then the microparticles can be formed with suitable structure, but environmentally unfriendly solvents are used and intensive washing is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the liquid medium from hydrophobic solvents to supercritical carbon dioxide. This parameter change eliminates the need for intensive washing while maintaining the ability to form microparticles with suitable structure for chromatography applications
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase transition properties of carbon dioxide between supercritical and gaseous states. By controlling pressure and temperature, CO2 transitions to a supercritical state for particle formation, then returns to gaseous state for easy separation, eliminating solvent residue issues without requiring intensive washing
2Ease of manufacture
If emulsion processes are used to produce polymer microparticles, then microparticles can be formed, but large amount of environmentally unfriendly solvents are used requiring intensive washing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent exploits the phase transition of carbon dioxide from supercritical to gaseous state to eliminate solvent removal steps. The supercritical CO2 forms the microparticles, then decompresses to gaseous CO2 that simply evaporates, eliminating the need for intensive washing to remove solvent residues
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses supercritical carbon dioxide as a transient medium that is inexpensive and easily disposed of through simple depressurization and evaporation, replacing the need for expensive and time-consuming solvent removal processes required in traditional emulsion methods
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 method enables the production of polymer microparticles with controlled size distribution using environmentally friendly solvents, reducing the need for intensive washing and simplifying the process, while maintaining the structural integrity of the particles.
Implementation Method 1
spraying a liquid comprising a thermally-gelling agarose from a first orifice of a nozzle into air to form gelled microparticles
Implementation Method 2
The nozzle is positioned to have a central axis of the first orifice at a tilt angle in a range from 10 degrees to 170 degrees relative to a direction of gravity
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for forming polymer microparticles is disclosed. The method comprises spraying a liquid comprising a thermally-gelling polymer from a first orifice of a nozzle into air to form gelled microparticles, and collecting the gelled microparticles with a collecting device. The nozzle is positioned to have a central axis of the first orifice at a tilt angle in a range from about 10 degrees to about 170 degrees relative to a direction of gravity. The collecting device comprises at least two collecting units at different distances from the first orifice of the nozzle in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity. Each of the collecting unit is loaded with a liquid collecting medium. A system for forming polymer microparticles is also disclosed.