COMPOSITE FIBER FILTER COMPRISING NAN0-MATERIALS, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD AND APPARATUS THEREOF

• US 20080217807A1
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bong Dae Lee, Inn Kyu Kang, Oh Hyeong Kwon
• Original Assignee: Bong Dae Lee, Inn Kyu Kang, Oh Hyeong Kwon
• Inventors: KWON, Oh Hyeong, KANG, Inn Kyu, LEE, Bong Dae
• Application Number:
  US11/847,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20080217807A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/172.18
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/025 comprising nanofibres apparatus incorporating such gas filtering material see B01D46/546
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0258 comprising nanoparticles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0442 Antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal additives apparatus incorporating such gas filtering material B01D46/0028
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/065 More than one layer present in the filtering material apparatus incorporating such gas filtering material B01D2275/10
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/10 Filtering material manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/1623 of synthetic origin
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/0061 characterised by the electro-spinning apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/08 Melt spinning methods D01D5/0023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 1/103 Agents inhibiting growth of microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 6/38 comprising unsaturated nitriles as the major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 6/60 from polyamides from polyamino acids or polypeptides D01F6/68
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/43 Acrylonitrile series
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/4334 Polyamides
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/4374 using different kinds of webs, e.g. by layering webs
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/56 in association with fibre formation, e.g. immediately following extrusion of staple fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/72 the fibres being randomly arranged
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/728 by electro-spinning electro-spinning methods and apparatus D01D5/0007
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/732 by fluid current, e.g. air-lay
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 3/07 otherwise than in a plane, e.g. in a tubular way
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 3/16 with bonds between thermoplastic filaments produced in association with filament formation, e.g. immediately following extrusion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1051 : by folding

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for manufacturing a composite fiber filter having high efficiency and high functionality, the method comprising: melt-spinning microfiber yarns on a forming rod, which is made of a conductive material, grounded at one end thereof and rotatably driven, using a melt-spinning device, to form on the forming layer a microfiber layer consisting of the microfiber yarns; and electrospinning on the microfiber layer an electrospinnable polymer solution having a given dielectric constant, using an electrospinning device, so as to form on the microfiber layer a nanofiber layers consisting of nanofiber yarns, wherein the microfiber yarns of the microfiber layer and the nanofiber yarns of the nanofiber layer contain silver nanoparticles so as to have an antibacterial function.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a composite fiber filter using nanofibers, the method comprising:

melt-spinning microfiber yarns on a forming rod, which is made of a conductive material, grounded at one end thereof and rotatably driven, using a melt-spinning device, so as to form on the forming layer a microfiber layer consisting of the microfiber yarns; and

electrospinning an electrospinnable polymer solution having a given dielectric constant, on the microfiber layer, using an electrospinning device, so as to form on the microfiber layer a nanofiber layer consisting of nanofiber yarns.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the microfiber layer and the nanofiber layer are alternately and sequentially deposited on each other using the melt-spinning device and the electrospinning device so as to form a multilayer structure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer resin solution contains self-dispersing silver nanoparticles in an amount of 0.1-1.0 wt % based on the weight of the polymer resin.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanofiber layer has a porosity of 30-70% and a density of 0.1-0.22 g/cm³.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer resin contained in the nanofiber yarns is polyacrylonitrile resin or polyamide (nylon 6).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer resin contained in the nanofiber yarns is any one selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, polycaprolactone, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinylidene fluoride, nylon, polyvinyl acetate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polyurethane, polybutylene terephthalate, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl chloride, polyethyleneimine, polysulfone and nitrocellulose.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the microfiber yarns being melt-spun comprise polypropylene and contain self-dispersing silver nanoparticles in an amount of 0.1-1.0 wt % based on the weight of the polypropylene.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming rod is rotatably driven at a revolution speed of 30-50 rpm.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the melt-spinning device has a spinning nozzle diameter of 0.1-0.3 mm and a spinning distance of 80-230 mm.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein electrospinning parameters in the electrospinning device include the concentration of the polymer resin in the polymer resin solution, the spinning rate of the polymer resin solution, application voltage and spinning distance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the electrospinning parameters in the electrospinning device further include silver concentration.

12. The composite fiber filter manufactured according to a method set forth in claim 1.

13. A method for manufacturing a composite fiber filter using nanofibers, the method comprising:

melt-spinning microfiber yarns on a forming rod, which is made of a conductive material, grounded at one end thereof and rotatably driven, using a first melt-spinning device, so as to form on the forming rod a first microfiber layer consisting of first microfiber yarns;

electrospinning an electrospinnable polymer resin having a given dielectric constant, on the microfiber layer, using an electrospinning device, so as to form on the microfiber layer a nanofiber layer consisting of nanofibers; and

melt-spinning microfiber yarns on the nanofiber layer using a second melt-spinning device, so as to form on the nanofiber layer a second microfiber layer consisting of second microfiber yarns having a diameter different from that of the first microfiber yarns, wherein the fiber layers are sequentially deposited on the forming rod.

14. An apparatus for manufacturing a composite fiber filter using nanofibers, the apparatus comprising:

a forming rod, which is made of a conductive material and grounded at one end thereof and can be rotatably driven by a driving unit; and

one or more melt-spinning devices and electro-spinning devices, which are provided in the vicinity of the forming rod, whereby a microfiber layer consisting of microfiber yarns and a nanofiber layer consisting of nanofiber yarns are alternately and sequentially deposited on the forming rod by melt-spinning from the melt-spinning devices and electrospinning from the electrospinning devices.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a cold roller is provided at a position opposite each of the melt-spinning devices and the electrospinning devices, such that it is rotated to press the forming rod.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a cutter for cutting the cylindrical fiber layers, which are alternately and sequentially deposited on the forming rod, to a predetermined effective length.

17. A method for manufacturing a composite fiber filter using nanofibers, the method comprising:

melt-spinning microfiber yarns on a forming rod, which is rotatably driven, using a first melt-spinning device, so as to form on the forming rod a first microfiber layer consisting of first microfiber yarns;

winding on the first microfiber layer a planar nanofiber nonwoven fabric consisting of nanofiber yarns, which contain silver nanoparticles in an amount of 0.1-1.0 wt % based on the weight of polymer resin, to a given thickness, so as to form on the microfiber layer a nanofiber layer; and

melt-spinning microfiber yarns on the nanofiber layer using a second melt-spinning device, so as to form on the nanofiber layer a second microfiber layer consisting of second microfiber yarns having a diameter different from that of the first microfiber yarns, wherein the fiber layers are sequentially deposited on the forming rod.

18. A method for manufacturing a composite fiber filter using nanofibers, the method comprising:

laminating a nanofiber nonwoven fabric on a microfiber nonwoven fabric using an electrospinning process, and then winding the resulting fabric structure in the form of a cylinder to a given thickness so as to manufacture a nanocomposite fiber filter for water purification, wherein nanofibers forming the nanofiber nonwoven fabric contain self-dispersing silver nanoparticles in an amount of 0.1-1.0 wt % based on the weight of polymer resin, and the nanofiber nonwoven fabric has a porosity of 30-70% and a density of 0.1-0.22 g/cm³.

19. A method for manufacturing a composite fiber filter using nanofibers, the method comprising:

stacking planar nanofiber nonwoven fabrics alternately with planar microfiber nonwoven fabrics to form a multilayer structure, and then bending the multilayer structure to form a folded cylindrical nanocomposite fiber filter, wherein the nanofiber nonwoven fabric consists of nanofibers containing self-dispersing silver nanoparticles in an amount of 0.1-1.0 wt % based on the weight of polymer resin and has a porosity of 30-70% and a density of 0.1-0.22 g/cm³.