New Jersey Institute of Technology

Orion Engineered Carbons Gmbh

Cabot Corporation

Evonik Carbon Black Gmbh

Robert Pfeffer

Jose A Quevedo

Rajesh N Dave

Juergen Flesch

Qun Yu

Kamalesh K Sirkar

Dhananjay Singh

Dengyue Chen

Jameel Menashi

Stanislav S Dukhin

Costas George Gogos

Ming-Wan Young

Satoru Watano

Chao Zhu

Guangliang Gary Liu

Theodore Davidson

David Todd

Bainian Qian

Yulu Wang

Caroline H Nam

Jürgen Flesch

Using porous hollow fiber membranes, systems/methods for continuously synthesizing polymer-coated particles by anti-solvent crystallization are provided. The disclosed systems/methods provide for synthesis of polymer-coated drug particles/crystals from solutions of the polymer and the drug particles in suspension by exposing the solution to an anti-solvent through a porous hollow fiber device. A feed solution of a coating polymer with suspended drug particles can be exposed to an anti-solvent through hollow fiber pores, thereby causing the polymer to precipitate on and coat the drug particles. In addition, a feed solution of a coating polymer with drug in solution can be exposed to an anti-solvent through hollow fiber pores, thereby causing the drug to crystallize from the solution and the polymer to precipitate/coat the drug. Results indicate that a uniformly coated, free-flowing product may be developed in this advantageous porous hollow fiber anti-solvent crystallization method. The coated drug particles can be used for controlled release of the drug, and the molecule and the crystal structure are not affected by the process.

Porous hollow fiber anti-solvent crystallization-based continuous method of polymer coating on submicron and nanoparticles

The present disclosure relates to the field of polymer coating. The present disclosure provides improved systems and methods for continuous polymer coating of particles (e.g., nanoparticles). The present disclosure provides for a solid hollow fiber cooling crystallization (SHFCC) technique to continuously coat the nanoparticles with polymer. In certain embodiments, the present disclosure embraces continuous coating of particles from about 1 nm to about 10 microns. A polymer solution containing a suspension of submicron particles flows in the lumen of a solid polymeric hollow fiber, and controlled cooling of the polymer solution allows for polymer nucleation on the surface of the particles, and the precipitated polymer forms a thin film around the particles (the thickness of which can be varied depending on the operating conditions). The systems, methods and assemblies of the present disclosure are easily adaptable for coating nano-sized drug particles as well.

System and method for continuous polymer coating of particles

A method for removing a contaminant from a fluid system comprises contacting the fluid system with an inversely fluidized material, for example a particulate aerogel, thereby removing at least a portion of the contaminant from the fluid system. The method can be used to remove oil or other organic materials from wastewater streams. It can be conducted in a fluidized bed, which includes nanoporous particles and a fluidizing medium, wherein the nanoporous particles have a density lower than that of the fluidizing medium.

Inverse fluidization for purifying fluid streams

Methods and systems for enhancing fluidization of nanoparticle and/or nanoagglomerates and for mixing and blending nanoparticle/nanoagglomerate systems at the nanoscale are provided. A fluidization chamber is provided with a fluidizing medium (e.g., a fluidizing gas) directed in a first fluidizing direction, e.g., upward into and through a bed containing a volume of nanoparticles and/or nanopowders. A second source of air/gas flow is provided with respect to the fluidization chamber, the secondary air/gas flow generally being oppositely (or substantially oppositely) directed relative to the fluidizing medium. Turbulence created by the secondary gas flow, e.g., a jet from a micro jet nozzle, is advantageously effective to aerate the agglomerates and the shear generated by the jet is advantageously effective to break apart nanoagglomerates and/or reduce the tendency for nanoagglomerates to form or reform. A downwardly directed source of secondary gas flow located near the main gas distributor leads to full fluidization of the entire amount of powder in the column. In addition, the oppositely directed fluid flow facilitates powder circulation within the fluidization chamber, thereby enhancing fluidization and mixing/blending results.

Fluidized mixing and blending of nanopowders with secondary gas flow

Methods and systems for enhancing fluidization of nanoparticle and/or nanoagglomerates are provided. A fluidization chamber is provided with a fluidizing medium directed in a first fluidizing direction, e.g., upward into and through a bed containing a volume of nanoparticles and/or nanopowders. A second source of air/gas flow is provided with respect to the fluidization chamber, the secondary air/gas flow generally being oppositely directed relative to the fluidizing medium. Turbulence created by the secondary gas flow is advantageously effective to aerate the agglomerates and the shear generated by the jet is advantageously effective to break apart nanoagglomerates and/or reduce the tendency for nanoagglomerates to form or reform. A downwardly directed source of secondary gas flow located near the main gas distributor leads to full fluidization of the entire amount of powder in the column. The oppositely directed fluid flow facilitates powder circulation within the fluidization chamber, thereby enhancing fluidization results.

Fluidized bed systems and methods including micro-jet flow

Techniques and processes that combine particulate coating processes with particulate handling steps resulting in the formation of free-flowing particulates for introduction into energetic product vessels to affect an in-situ, net-shape manufactured product. The processes involve selecting suitably sized materials, processing such materials such that they are surface-coated and/or locally 'structured' particulates, and pouring, preferably 'dry' pouring, these processed materials into an energetic product vessel and infusing the filled vessel with a polymerizable and surface-compatible monomer or oligomer which flows into the unoccupied volume, followed by polymerization of the monomer, which then becomes the binder giving mechanical integrity to the final, net-shape energetic composition.

Netshape manufacturing processes and compositions

Systems and methods for fluidization of particle and/or powder systems with reduced generation of static electricity are disclosed. The systems/methods are particularly advantageous for fluidization of nanoparticle and/or nanopowder systems, where the generation and/or presence of static electricity is a significant fluidization issue. The systems and methods generally involve the addition of an alcohol or other solvent to a fluidization gas to be introduced to the fluidization chamber, e.g., by bubbling the fluidization gas through a volume of solvent/alcohol, to advantageously reduce the build up of electrostatic charge. Systems and methods for capturing in-situ images within a fluidized bed are also provided that involve reducing the electrostatic charges generated within the fluidized bed and introducing a particle vision and measurement (PVM) probe to the fluidized bed for image capture.

Systems and methods for reducing electrostatic charge in a fluidized bed

A method for packing and/or mixing particulate materials, e.g., aerogel particles, includes combining materials having different particle sizes and applying a negative pressure differential in the presence of a sound field. A negative pressure differential in the presence of vibration also can be used. The method increases mixing and packing density.

Mixing and packing of particles

With the coupling of an external field and aeration (or a flow of another gas), nanoparticles can be smoothly and vigorously fluidized. A magnetic force and/or pre-treatment may be employed with the fluidizing gas and, when coupled with a fluidizing medium, provide excellent means for achieving homogenous nanofluidization. The magnetic force interacts with non-fluidizing magnetic particles and helps to break channels as well as provide enough energy to disrupt the strong interparticle forces, thereby establishing an advantageous agglomerate size distribution. Enhanced fluidization is reflected by improved performance-related attributes. The fluidized nanoparticles may be coated, surface-treated and/or surface-modified in the fluidized state. In addition, the fluidized nanoparticles may participate in a reaction, either as a reactant or a catalyst, while in the fluidized state.

System and method for nanoparticle and nanoagglomerate fluidization

Systems and methods for achieving filtration are provided that utilize agglomerates or granules of nanoparticles. The agglomerates or granules of nanoparticles may be used as and/or incorporated into a HEPA filtration system to remove solid or liquid submicron-sized particles, e.g., MPPS, in an efficient and efficacious manner. The filtration systems and methods are provided that utilize agglomerates or granules in a size range of about 100-500 microns. The agglomerates or granules of nanoparticles exhibit a hierarchical fractal structure. In the case of agglomerates of nanoparticles, porosities of 0.9 or greater are generally employed, and for granules of nanoparticles, porosities that are smaller than 0.9 may be employed. Filter media formed from the agglomerates or granules may be formed from materials such as carbon black and fumed silica, and may be employed in baffled or non-baffled filtration apparatus.

Fractal structured nanoagglomerates as filter media

A process, method and/or system for preparing polymer-coated nanoparticles and/or other ultrafine particles utilizing a supercritical fluid, e.g., supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO), as an antisolvent that may be added to a solution of a polymer and an organic solvent in which insoluble nanoparticles or the like are suspended. The coating process occurs when the supercritical fluid (e.g., SC CO) and the nanoparticle-containing suspension are combined to cause the suspended nanoparticles to precipitate as coated nanoparticles. Processing parameters for optimizing and/or enhancing the efficacy and/or efficiency of the coating process, method and/or system and for controlling the coating and/or agglomeration of coated particles are also described. The process, method and/or system has wide ranging applicability, e.g., for coating and/or encapsulation of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food products, chemicals, agrochemicals, pesticides, polymers, coatings, catalysts and the like.

Polymer coating/encapsulation of nanoparticles using a supercritical antisolvent process

Coater for coating particles is provided with a casing and a cylinder having apertures rotatably mounted within the casing. Gas is blown into the casing and onto the host particles through the slots of the cylinder. Guest particles may be inserted into the casing initially or subsequently after rotation of the cylinder begins. The particles are fluidized when a balance is attained between the centrifugal force from the rotation of the cylinder and the force exerted upon the particles from the air flow. The centrifugal force exerted on the particles within the cylinder in an operating state is at least about 25 gs so as to cause guest particles of different sizes to be coated onto the host.

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Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America

Robert Pfeffer