In-Fiber Particle Generation

Abstract

There is provided a fiber including a cladding material that is disposed along a longitudinal-axis fiber length. A plurality of spherical particles are provided, separated from one another and disposed in a longitudinal line parallel to the longitudinal fiber axis. The particles are in a sequence with controlled periodic spacing between particles along at least a portion of the fiber length. Each spherical particle has a spherical particle material that is embedded within and elementally different than the fiber cladding material.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A fiber comprising:
 a cladding material disposed along a longitudinal-axis fiber length; and   a plurality of spherical particles that are separated from one another and disposed in a longitudinal line parallel to the longitudinal fiber axis in a sequence with controlled periodic spacing between particles along at least a portion of the fiber length, each spherical particle comprising a spherical particle material that is embedded within and elementally different than the fiber cladding material.   
     
     
         2 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle has a particle diameter and where spacing between adjacent spherical particles is greater than the particle diameter. 
     
     
         3 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle has a diameter that is less than about 1 millimeter. 
     
     
         4 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle has a diameter that is less than about 1 micron. 
     
     
         5 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle has a diameter that is less than about 100 nanometers. 
     
     
         6 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein the fiber cladding material and the spherical particle material each have a viscosity that is less than about 10 6  Poise, while maintaining material integrity, at a common fiber thermal draw temperature. 
     
     
         7 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the fiber cladding material and the spherical particle material comprised a polymer material. 
     
     
         8 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein the fiber cladding material comprises a polymer material selected from the group consisting of poly-ether imide, poly-ether sulfone, polycarbonate, Polysulfone, cyclic olefin polymer, cyclic olefin copolymer, and poly-methyl methacrylate. 
     
     
         9 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein the spherical particle material comprises an electrically semiconducting material. 
     
     
         10 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein the spherical particle material comprises an electrically conducting material. 
     
     
         11 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein the spherical particle material comprises an electrically insulating material. 
     
     
         12 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein the spherical particle material comprises a glassy inorganic material. 
     
     
         13 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein the spherical particle material comprises a chalcogenide glass. 
     
     
         14 . The fiber of  claim 13  wherein the spherical particle material comprises a chalcogenide glass selected from the group consisting of As 2 S 3  and As 2 Se 3 . 
     
     
         15 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein the spherical particle material comprises an electrically conducting material selected from the group consisting of metals and metal alloys. 
     
     
         16 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle is biocompatible. 
     
     
         17 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein the spherical particle material comprises an electrically conducting material selected from the group consisting of tin, indium, bismuth, cadmium, lithium, lead, zinc. Sn—Ag alloys, Sn—Sb alloys, and Sn—Cu alloys. 
     
     
         18 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle comprises a homogeneous particle material. 
     
     
         19 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle comprises at least one nonhomogeneous material region within the spherical particle. 
     
     
         20 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle comprises a core-shell particle including a spherical core material surrounded by a spherical shell material. 
     
     
         21 . The fiber of  claim 20  wherein each core-shell particle includes a spherical core material surrounded by a plurality of spherical shells. 
     
     
         22 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle comprises a broken-symmetry Janus particle. 
     
     
         23 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle comprises a plurality of azimuthal segments, each segment subtending a polar angle. 
     
     
         24 . The fiber of  claim 28  wherein each spherical particle comprises a plurality of distinct materials arranged among the azimuthal segments. 
     
     
         25 . The fiber of  claim 23  wherein each azimuthal segment in a spherical particle subtends an angle no greater than about 180°. 
     
     
         26 . The fiber of  claim 23  wherein each spherical particle comprises a spherical core surrounded by at least one spherical shell. 
     
     
         27 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein the longitudinal line of spherical particles comprises a plurality of longitudinal lines of spherical particles, each longitudinal line including a plurality of spherical particles that are separated from one another with controlled periodic spacing between particles along at least a portion of the fiber length, each spherical particle comprising a spherical particle material that is embedded within and elementally different than the fiber cladding material and separated from other longitudinal lines of spherical particles by the fiber cladding material. 
     
     
         28 . The fiber of  claim 1  wherein each spherical particle includes a first hemisphere comprising a first material and a second hemisphere comprising a second material different from the first material. 
     
     
         29 . The fiber of  claim 28  wherein the first material comprises a first glass and the second, material comprises a second glass. 
     
     
         30 . A fiber comprising;
 a cladding material disposed along a longitudinal-axis fiber length; and   a plurality of spherical particles that arc separated from one another and disposed in a longitudinal line parallel to the longitudinal fiber axis in a sequence with controlled periodic spacing between particles along at least a portion of the fiber length, each spherical particle comprising a spherical particle material that is embedded within and different than the fiber cladding material, the plurality of spherical particles being uniformly sized with a standard deviation in particle size that is less than 10% of an average size of a particle in the plurality of particles.