The University of Akron

George G Chase

Darrell H Reneker

Prashant Kulkarni

Daniel J Smith

Woraphon Kataphinan

Kitchaporn Nartetamrongsutt

Prathyusha Katta

George R Newkome

Constantine Michael Megaridis

Steven Charles Schapel

Alexander L Yarin

Hyeon Ung Shin

Rex D Ramsier

Seth Finley

Sphurti Bhargava

Soo-Jin Park

Sneha Swaminathan

Jakapon Sunthornvarabhas

Dinesh Lolla

Manish K Tiwari

Oludotun Dosunmu

Lubna Khatri

Srihari Rangarajan

Shagufta Patel

Ketan Mehta

Ashish Gadhave

Ahmed Abutaleb

Jackapon Sunthorn Varabhas

Ashish Bandekar

Gary Carlson

An electrowetting coalescing device for coalescing droplets of a dispersed phase within a continuous phase includes an inlet in fluid communication with a first porous layer and a second porous layer. The first porous layer is employed as a first electrode and the second porous layer is employed as a second electrode, and a voltage difference exists between the first porous layer and the second porous layer to thereby create an electric field between the first porous layer and the second porous layer. The electrowetting coalescing device includes an outlet for receiving a fluid having passed through the first porous layer and the second porous layer.

Electrowetting coalescence device with porous layers

A polymer-catalyst assembly includes polarized polymeric nanofibers retaining a plurality of catalytic metallic nanoparticles. A method of making the polarized polymer-catalyst assembly may include providing a fiber mat having polymeric nanofibers retaining a plurality of catalytic metallic nanoparticles, stretching the fiber mat in a uniaxial direction, simultaneous with the step of stretching, thermally heating the fiber mat, simultaneous with the steps of stretching and thermally heating, subjecting the fiber mat to an electric field, whereby the simultaneous steps of stretching, thermally heating, and subjecting thereby form a polarized fiber mat.

Polarized fiber mats for catalyst support structures

An apparatus for the production of electrospun fibers using an electrospinning solution comprising: at least one threaded rod having an exterior surface and having a longitudinal axis oriented vertically, a grounded collector, an electrospinning solution dispenser feeding electrospinning solution to the exterior surface of the threaded rod, and a high voltage power supply.

Simple device for economically producing electrospun fibers at moderate rates

The present invention is generally directed to flexible ceramic fibers and to methods for making same. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to flexible ceramic fibers that are heat and chemical resistant, and to a method for making same. In another embodiment, the present invention relates to flexible ceramic nanofibers, and to a method for making same. In still another embodiment, the present invention relates to electrospun flexible ceramic nanofibers, products that include such fibers, and to methods of making same.

Flexible ceramic fibers and a process for making same

An immiscible lipophilic or hydrophilic liquid phase separated respectively from a continuous hydrophilic phase or a lipophilic phase liquid. Fibers having hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties are formed into a filter. The separation mechanism involves capture of small droplets of the immiscible phase, coalescence of the small droplets into larger droplets as the immiscible liquid flows through the fiber filter, and release of the large immiscible droplets from the filter. Regarding separation of a hydrophilic immiscible fluid such as water in a lipophilic continuous fluid such as oil, the hydrophobic fibers cause small water droplets to migrate towards the hydrophilic fibers whereby large droplets form on hydrophilic surface. The large droplets stay on hydrophilic fiber surface for extended periods of time and continue to coalescence until they are so large that they can no longer be maintained by the hydrophilic fibers and are released and drained off of the filter.

Mixed hydrophilic/hydrophobic fiber media for liquid-liquid coalescence

A coalescing filter includes a coalescing filter medium having an entrance face and an exit face and a surface energy, the coalescing filter also having a drainage channel in the coalescing filter medium, the drainage channel being a woven or non-woven fiber construct having a pore size greater than the pore size of said coalescing filter medium and having a surface energy that is lower than the surface energy of the coalescing filter medium, the drainage channel extending at a downward angle relative to the direction from the entrance face to the exit face.

Liquid drainage from coalescing filter medium with drainage channels

An immiscible lipophilic or hydrophilic liquid phase is separated respectively from a continuous hydrophilic or a lipophilic phase liquid. Fibers having hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties are formed into a filter. The separation mechanism involves coalescence of the small droplets into larger droplets as the immiscible liquid flows through the fiber filter, and release of the large immiscible droplets from the filter. With respect to separation of a hydrophilic immiscible fluid in a lipophilic continuous fluid, the hydrophobic fibers cause small water droplets to migrate towards the hydrophilic fibers whereby large droplets are formed on hydrophilic surface. The large droplets coalescence until they are so large that they are released and drained off of the filter. The filter media can be designed by mixing hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers in various proportions to achieve an optimum wettability range for separation of the immiscible liquid from the continuous phase liquid.

Electrospinning nozzles include novel constructs for providing spinning pores that define the origin of jets of fiber-forming media. In some embodiments, a film covers relatively large holes in a nozzle body and provides spinning pores aligned with such large holes. In some embodiments, conductive tubes are secured at or about relatively large holes in a nozzle body and provide spinning pores fluidly communicating with fiber-forming media at such large holes. In yet other embodiments, nozzle bodies are provided with circular or semi-spherical surfaces having a plurality of spinning pores.

Device for producing electrospun fibers

The present invention relates to a catalyst-containing nanofiber composition, comprising a ceramic nanofiber having a plurality of metal catalysts wherein the metal catalysts exist as dispersed particles partially embedded in the nanofiber and cover from about 1% to about 90% of the surface area of the ceramic nanofiber.

Ceramic nanofibers containing nanosize metal catalyst particles and medium thereof

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for removing water and/or water-based compounds from organic liquids/fluids. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus that utilize fibrous media that contains, is impregnated, or is formed from at least one super absorbent compound, where the fibrous media is formed from nanofibers.

Method for removing water from an organic liquid

An immiscible lipophilic or hydrophilic liquid phase separated respectively from a continuous hydrophilic phase or a lipophilic phase liquid. Fibers having hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties are mixed, layered, etc., and formed into a filter. The separation mechanism involves capture of small droplets of the immiscible phase, coalescence of the small droplets into larger droplets as the immiscible liquid flows through the fiber filter, and release of the large immiscible droplets from the filter. With respect to separation of a hydrophilic immiscible fluid such as water in a lipophilic continuous fluid such as oil, the hydrophobic fibers will cause small water droplets to migrate towards the hydrophilic fibers whereby large droplets are formed on hydrophilic surface. The large droplets stay on hydrophilic fiber surface for extended periods of time and continue to coalescence until they are so large that they can no longer be maintained by the hydrophilic fibers and are released and drained off of the filter. In designing such filter, wettability of the filter media is an important parameter. The filter media can be designed by mixing hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers in various proportions to achieve an optimum wettability range for separation of the immiscible liquid from the continuous phase liquid. The wettability of filter media can be characterized by a modified Washburn Equation.

The invention relates to a novel method for electrospinning fibers wherein the fiber-spinning solution is infused with gas bubbles which travel through the electrospinning fluid, causing the bubbles to be coated with electrospinning solution. The coated bubbles, in turn, in response to an applied electrical force, generate jets of the electrospinning fluid that travel away from the bubble surface. The invention further relates to the fibers formed by this bubble-jet process and to products made therefrom.

Bubble launched electrospinning jets

The present invention generally relates to methods to provide electrospun polymer/nanoparticle composite-fiber structures for use as lightweight, compliant, porous strain sensors for non-cyclic strain sensing. In one embodiment, the fibers in the nanocomposites comprise, for example, poly(&#x2208;-caprolactone) (PCL) dielectric polymer matrix with embedded electrically conductive carbon black (CB) nanoparticles. In another embodiment, the composite-fiber structures of the present invention contain at least about 7 weight percent or more of CB and are electrically conducting in the as-spun, un-deformed state, and are thus called conductive polymer composites (CPC). In still another embodiment, the electrical resistance of a nanocomposite structure according to the invention increases with strain, and at sufficiently high strains the structure is rendered non-conductive.

Electrospun fibrous nanocomposites as permeable, flexible strain sensors

The present invention relates to methods for producing fibers made from one or more polymers or polymer composites, and to structures that can be produced from such fibers. In one embodiment, the fibers of the present invention are nanofibers. The present invention also relates to apparatus for producing fibers made from one or more polymers or polymer composites, and methods by which such fibers are made.

Method and device for producing electrospun fibers

The present invention is generally directed to a method for making sol-gel ceramic nanofibers, and the compositions resulting from practicing such method. Fibers so formed can be used for fabricating filter media and a wide variety of other ceramic fiber structures and devices.

Growing community of inventors

Wadsworth, OH, United States of America

George G Chase