Porous substrates, articles, systems and compositions comprising nanofibers and methods of their use and production

• US 8,025,960 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ONED Material Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nanosys Incorporated (Shoei Electronic Materials, Inc.)
• Inventors: Niu, Chunming, Dubrow, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarazano; D. Lawrence
• Assistant Examiner(s): Matzek; Matthew D
• Application Number:
  US10/941,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20070190880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,568 Days
• Field of Search: 442/2, 442/43, 442/44, 442/46, 442/49, 977/961, 602 41- 47, 427/2.31, 424/443, 424/445, 428/304.4, 428/309.9, 604/289, 604/304
• US Class Current: 428/304.4
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0225 Side-by-side
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0233 Island-in-sea
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0241 comprising electrically conductive fibres or particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/025 comprising nanofibres
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0428 Rendering the filter material hydrophobic
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0492 on fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/0613 Woven
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/065 More than one layer present in the filtering material
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2239/1216 Pore size
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/283 Reducing the pores
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/08 Filter cloth, i.e. woven, knitted or interlaced material metallic B01D39/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249953 Composite having voids in a component [e.g., porous, cellular, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24996 With internal element bridging layers, nonplanar interface between layers, or intermediate layer of commingled adjacent foam layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/30 Woven fabric [i.e., woven strand or strip material]

Abstract

Porous nanofiber bearing substrate materials are provided having enhanced surface area for a variety of applications including as electrical substrates, semipermeable membranes and barriers, structural lattices for tissue culturing and for composite materials, and the like.

Claims

1. A bandage, comprising:

a flexible porous substrate having a plurality of apertures disposed therethrough, the porous substrate having an overall surface that includes an interior wall surface of the apertures and an exterior surface of the substrate; and

a plurality of nanofibers deposited upon or attached to at least a portion of the overall surface of the porous substrate, wherein at least a portion of the nanofibers are attached to or deposited upon the exterior surface of the substrate and at least a portion of the nanofibers are attached to the interior wall surface area of the plurality of apertures, whereby when the bandage is applied to a wound, the nanofibers attached to the exterior surface of the substrate provide adhesion to surface tissues adjacent to the wound or to an opposing side of the substrate.

2. The bandage of claim 1, comprising a protective pad disposed upon a first portion of a first side of the substrate, whereby when the bandage is applied to a wound, the protective pad overlays the wound.

3. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the nanofibers are functionalized with a hydrophobic chemical moiety, and wherein the nanofibers and aperture together define a pore which is permeable to gas and not permeable to water.

4. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the nanofibers are grown in situ on the substrate material.

5. The bandage of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the nanofibers are oriented in a direction extending away from the surface of the substrate at the point of attachment between the nanofibers and the substrate.

6. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the nanofibers comprise an inorganic semiconductor, an inorganic semiconductor oxide, a ceramic, or a biologically derived compound, or are carbon nanotubes.

7. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the nanofibers comprise silicon.

8. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the nanofibers comprise an antimicrobial material.

9. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the nanofibers comprise TiO₂.

10. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a woven fabric.

11. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a mesh.

12. The bandage of claim 2, wherein the mesh comprises a polymer mesh.

13. The bandage of claim 1, wherein a substantial portion of the nanowires are attached to the interior walls of the substrate.

14. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the nanofibers are primarily attached to the interior wall surface area of the plurality of apertures.

15. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the nanofibers attached to the interior wall surface area of the plurality of apertures have a total volume which is substantially smaller than the volume of said apertures.

16. The bandage of claim 1, wherein the nanofibers attached to the substrate only slightly narrow the apertures of the substrate.

17. The bandage of claim 1, further comprising a second substrate having a plurality of apertures disposed therethrough.