Patent ID: 7326043

Claim:
Apparatus for elevated temperature production of non-woven fabric from thermoplastic polymer or thermoplastic polymer nanoclay nanocomposite, neat or in solution and requiring elevated temperature for dissolving in acceptable solvent, said apparatus comprising the following elements: (a) a resistance heater, (b) a pump upstream of or containing the resistance heater, (c) a droplet forming passageway having an inlet in fluid communication with the pump and having one or more droplet providing outlet orifices, (d) a guiding chamber having an inlet end in fluid communication with the droplet providing outlet orifices and having a rear end and having ungrounded sidewalls, (e) a collection surface (i) at the rear end of and within the guiding chamber or (ii) defining the end of the guiding chamber, and (f) a high voltage source in electrical communication with the droplet forming passageway; wherein the resistance heater is for melting the polymer or nanocomposite or maintaining the polymer or nanocomposite in solution in acceptable solvent; wherein the pump is for causing dispensing of said polymer or nanocomposite or elevated temperature solution; wherein the droplet forming passageway is for receiving said polymer or nanocomposite melt or elevated temperature solution; wherein the droplet providing outlet orifices are for providing one or more droplets of melted polymer or nanocomposite or elevated temperature solution at the one or more outlet orifices; wherein the guiding chamber is to provide a passageway to the collection surface for fibers; wherein the collection surface is for receiving elongated fibers of polymer or nanocomposite and collecting them as a nonwoven fabric; wherein the high voltage source is to provide an electric charge in droplet(s) emitting from the droplet providing outlet orifices to overcome the surface tension of a droplet to produce a jet of melted polymer or nanocomposite or elevated temperature solution in the guiding chamber giving rise to unstable flow through the guiding chamber to the collection surface manifested by a series of electrically induced bending instabilities and flashing off of any solvent during passage of the polymer or nanocomposite to the collection surface and production of elongated fibers of polymer or nanocomposite and deposit of these on the collection surface so as to form the non-woven fabric.