Method for production of materials having anisotropic properties composed of nanofibres or microfibres and an apparatus for implementation of said method

Abstract

A method of producing fibres includes continuously drawing a fibre out of a solution, and pulling it to a rotary set of n electrodes by means of an electrostatic field. The individual electrodes of the set are arranged at regular spacing to each other and at the same distance from the set's rotation axis, and parallel with it. The fibre is wound on the set of electrodes by rotating the set of electrodes. The electrostatic field is disconnected and rotation of the set of electrodes is stopped. A layer of the fibres formed in the field between two adjacent electrodes is removed. The rotating set of electrodes turns through an angle of 360/n, the layer of the fibres formed between two adjacent electrodes in the field adjacent to the field from which the layer was removed, is removed, and this step is repeated in total n-times.

1 . A method of production of two-dimensional or three-dimensional fibrous materials of fibres of a diameter ranging from microfibres to nanofibres, where in step a)
 the fibre is continuously drawn out of a solution, and pulled to a rotary set of n electrodes, where n is a natural number, by means of an electrostatic field, the individual electrodes of the set being arranged at regular spacing to each other and at the same distance from the set of electrodes rotation axis and parallel with it, the fibre being wound on the set of the electrodes by rotating the set of the electrodes, after which in step b)   the electrostatic field is disconnected and rotation of the set of the electrodes is stopped, and a layer of the fibres formed in the field between two adjacent electrodes is removed by an accumulator,   
       and in the subsequent step c)
 the rotating set of the electrodes turns through an angle of 360/n, the layer of the fibres, formed between two adjacent electrodes in the field adjacent to the field from which the layer was removed in preceding step b), is removed by the accumulator and superimposed on the layer removed in step b), and this step is repeated in total n-times. 
 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein before the step c), where the layer formed in the field between two adjacent electrodes is removed, the accumulator turns round slightly such that the layer removed in step c) has a fibre direction different from a fibre direction of the preceding layer. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the superimposed layers of the fibres are pressed together. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein a required spatial shape of a final product is formed by compressing the layers of the fibres. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the shaped compressed layers are imbedded with a medium, thus creating a composite material of required properties. 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus for the production of two-dimensional or three-dimensional fibrous materials of the fibres for implementing the method of  claim 1 , comprising at least one spinning nozzle connected to a first potential, and the set of electrodes is attached to a second potential, and the accumulator for collecting fibres is settled between two adjacent electrodes, wherein
 the set of the electrodes is rotatable about a rotation axis, and   individual electrodes of the set are arranged at regular spacing to each other and at the same distance from the rotation axis and each individual electrode extends along a longitudinal axis parallel with the rotation axis, and the accumulator   is, in relation to the electrodes, arranged movably in the direction of the longitudinal axes of the electrodes for collecting the fibres settled between two adjacent electrodes, and   is, in relation to the electrodes, arranged movably in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the electrodes for it being brought into engagement to collect fibres settled between two adjacent electrodes, and being brought out of engagement after finishing the collection of fibres settled between two adjacent electrodes.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein individual electrodes have an electrode surface and the accumulator has a shape of a parallelogram, the width of which is smaller than a distance between the nearest surfaces of a adjacent electrodes to enable its insertion between said adjacent electrodes. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the accumulator is arranged rotationally around a line perpendicular to a surface of the accumulator and passing through a centre of the accumulator surface for depositing the subsequent layer of the fibres settled between two adjacent electrodes with the fibre direction different from the direction of the fibres of the preceding layer. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein individual electrodes have an electrode surface and the accumulator
 has a squared shape with its side shorter than a distance between the nearest surfaces of two adjacent electrodes, and 
 is arranged rotationally around a line perpendicular to a surface of the accumulator and passing through a centre of the accumulator surface for turning the accumulator through an angle of 90° for depositing the subsequent layer of the fibres settled between two adjacent electrodes with the fibres direction perpendicular to the direction of the fibres of the preceding layer. 
 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the accumulator has a shape of a dish for depositing the collected layers of the fibres, the apparatus being further provided with a piston for pressing the fibres into the accumulator and for compressing the individual layers of the collected layers of the fibres for the purpose of mechanical strengthening of an ordered three-dimensional structure. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the accumulator is arranged rotationally around a line perpendicular to a surface of the accumulator and passing through a centre of the accumulator surface for turning the accumulator around slightly for depositing the subsequent layer of the fibres settled between two adjacent electrodes with the fibres direction different from the direction of the fibres of the preceding layer. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus for the production of two-dimensional or three-dimensional fibrous materials of fibres of a diameter ranging from microfibers to nanofibres, comprising:
 at least one spinning nozzle configured to produce fibres,   a rotating collector configured to collect fibres from the at least one spinning nozzle, the rotating collector including a set of n electrodes rotatable about a rotation axis, where n is a natural number, the individual electrodes being arranged at regular spacing to each other and at the same distance from the rotation axis and each individual electrode extending along a longitudinal axis parallel with the rotation axis, the set being configured such that the fibres are wound on the set of electrodes when the set is rotated,   a first electric potential and a second electric potential, the at least one spinning nozzle being connected to the first potential and the set of electrodes being connected to the second potential, and   an accumulator disposed between two adjacent electrodes and being moveable in the direction of the longitudinal axes of the individual electrodes for collecting the fibres settled between the two adjacent electrodes, the accumulator being further moveable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the individual electrodes for moving into engagement to collect fibres settled between the two adjacent electrodes and out of engagement after finishing the collection of fibres settled between the two adjacent electrodes.