In-fiber particle generation

摘要

A fiber is provided, including a cladding material that is disposed along a longitudinal-axis fiber length. A plurality of spherical particles are disposed as a sequence along a longitudinal line parallel to the longitudinal fiber axis in at least a portion of the fiber length, and include a spherical particle material that is interior to the fiber cladding material and different than the fiber cladding material. To produce particles, a drawn fiber, having a longitudinal-axis fiber length and including at least one fiber core that has a longitudinal core axis parallel to the longitudinal fiber axis and that is internally disposed to at least one outer fiber cladding layer along the fiber length, is heated for a time that is sufficient to cause a fiber core to break-up into droplets sequentially disposed along the fiber core axis. Fiber cooling solidifies droplets into spherical particles interior to fiber cladding.

主权项

1. A method for producing particles comprising:
providing a drawn fiber having a longitudinal-axis fiber length and including at least one fiber core having a longitudinal core axis parallel to the longitudinal fiber axis and internally disposed to at least one outer fiber cladding layer along the fiber length; heating the fiber at a heating temperature, T, for a heating time, t, that is sufficient to cause at least one fiber core break up into droplets that are sequentially disposed along the fiber core axis; and cooling the heated fiber to solidify the droplets into spherical particles that are disposed along the fiber core axis over the fiber length, interior to the fiber cladding layer, as a longitudinal sequence of spherical particles that is parallel to the longitudinal fiber axis.