JP2010075882A - Microchannel apparatus and classification method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a microchannel apparatus which enables a continuous treatment. <P>SOLUTION: The microchannel apparatus includes a linear microchannel. In the microchannel, a partition wall intersecting with a flow direction of a fluid and having an inclination is arranged. At least one of the channels divided by the partition wall has a supply port supplying the fluid, and a drain outlet is provided on each of the channels divided by the partition wall, which is a filter. The microchannel is arranged with an inclination in a vertical direction, and the supply port is preferably arranged above the drain outlet connected without passing through the supply port and the filter. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a microchannel device and a classification method.

  As a method for classifying fine particles, there are a method of classifying by a balance between centrifugal force and inertial force composed of a rotor and a stator, and a method of sieving using a net or the like.

In order to prevent clogging, a filter provided in the flow direction like an ultrafilter can be considered.
Patent Document 1 discloses an inlet port for taking in a suspension, a curved channel having one end attached to the inlet port, a plurality of branch channels attached to the downstream side of the channel, and the branch A microchannel device comprising a plurality of outlet ports that are attached to one downstream end of each flow path and discharge the suspension after passing through the curved flow path and the branch flow path. It is disclosed.
Non-Patent Document 1 proposes a microdevice that combines centrifugal force and filter effect.

JP 2004-330008 A Xu Ji et al, "A CENTRIFUGATION-ENHANCED HIGH-EFFICIENCY MICRO-FILTER WITH SPIRAL CHANNEL", TRANSDUSER & EOROSENSERS '07 (The 14th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, Lyon, France, June 10-14, 2007) abstract pp.1865-1868

  An object of the present invention is to provide a microchannel device capable of continuous processing as compared with a case where the present configuration is not provided.

The above-mentioned problems of the present invention have been solved by means described in the following <1> and <6>. It is described below together with <2> to <5> which are preferred embodiments.
<1> A microchannel is provided, and an inclined partition wall that intersects the fluid flow direction is disposed in the microchannel, and fluid is supplied to at least one of the channels partitioned by the partition wall. A microchannel device having a supply port, wherein each of the channels partitioned by the partition wall is provided with a discharge port, and the partition wall is a filter;
<2> The microchannel device according to the above <1>, wherein the filter is disposed in the flow direction of the microchannel with an inclination of an angle greater than 0 ° and less than 60 °,
<3> The <1> or the above <1>, wherein the microchannel is disposed with an inclination in the vertical direction, and the supply port is disposed above the discharge port connected to the supply port without passing through the filter. 2>, a microchannel device according to
<4> The micro flow according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the filter is a honeycomb film having an opening of 0.5 μm to 50 μm and a thickness of 0.5 μm to 50 μm. Road equipment,
<5> The microchannel device according to any one of <1> to <4> above, which is a classification device,
<6> A step of feeding the fine particle dispersion to any one of the microchannels partitioned by the partition wall of the microchannel device according to the above <5>, and a microparticle dispersion containing the microparticles that have passed through the filter (1) A method for classifying fine particles, comprising a step of collecting the fine particle dispersion (2) containing fine particles that do not pass through a filter from each outlet.

According to the invention described in <1>, it is possible to provide a microchannel device capable of continuous processing as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the invention described in <2> above, it is possible to provide a microchannel device that is more efficient than the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the invention described in <3> above, it is possible to provide a microchannel device in which channel blockage is further suppressed as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the invention described in <4> above, it is possible to provide a microchannel device that is more efficient than when the present configuration is not provided.
According to the invention described in <5> above, it is possible to provide a classifier that can perform processing continuously with high accuracy as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the invention described in <6>, it is possible to provide a classification method in which clogging and the like are further suppressed and processing can be performed continuously with high accuracy as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.

(Micro channel device)
The microchannel device of the present embodiment has a microchannel, and in the microchannel, an inclined partition wall that intersects the fluid flow direction is disposed, and at least of the channels partitioned by the partition wall. It has a supply port for supplying a fluid to one, a discharge port is provided in each of the flow paths partitioned by the partition, and the partition is a filter.
Moreover, the microchannel device of the present embodiment can be suitably used as a classification device. In the following description, the case where the microchannel device of this embodiment is used as a classification device will be mainly described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only particles having a specific particle size or less are supported on the catalyst. Applications such as a mode of reaction and processing by passing through a filter can be expected.
Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, the same code | symbol represents the same object unless there is particular notice.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the microchannel device of the present embodiment.
In FIG. 1, a microchannel device 1 has a linear microchannel 2. In addition, the minute channel 2 is provided with a partition 3 formed of a filter, and the minute channel 2 is divided into two.
In the microchannel 2, the flow direction of the fluid is parallel to the microchannel 2, and is indicated by an arrow R in FIG. The partition wall 3 is provided so as to intersect with the fluid flow direction R. In FIG. 1, the inclination angle between the fluid flow and the partition wall is indicated by θ.

Further, in FIG. 1, the micro flow channel 2 is provided with a supply port 4 for supplying a fluid to one of the two flow channels 2-1 and 2-2 partitioned by a partition wall. It has been. Further, in FIG. 1, the microchannel device 1 has a supply path 6 for feeding a fluid to the supply port 4.
The introduction of the dispersion liquid containing particles (hereinafter also referred to as particle dispersion liquid) A into the supply path 6 is preferably press-fitted with a microsyringe, a rotary pump, a screw pump, a centrifugal pump, a piezo pump or the like.
The flow rate of the particle dispersion A in the microchannel 2 is preferably 1 to 500 ml / hr, and more preferably 10 to 300 ml / hr.

When the particle dispersion A is supplied from the supply port 4 to the microchannel 2-1 through the supply channel 6, the particle dispersion A is sent in parallel with the microchannel 2 (arrow R in FIG. 1). Of the particles in the particle dispersion A, particles smaller than the openings provided in the partition wall (filter) 3 pass through the filter and move to the microchannel 2-2. On the other hand, particles having a size larger than the opening are fed through the flow channel 2-1 and discharged from the discharge port 5-1.
Here, in FIG. 1, the particle dispersion B is discharged from the discharge port 5-1 to the outside of the microchannel device 1 via the discharge path 7-1, and the particle dispersion C is discharged from the discharge port 5-2. It is discharged out of the microchannel device 1 through the discharge path 7-2.
The details will be described below.

<Microchannel>
The microchannel device of the present embodiment has a microchannel. The microchannel is preferably linear. That is, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the microchannel is a straight line having a certain length.
Here, the phrase “the micro flow path is linear” means that the flow path in which the filter is provided does not have a bent portion. If it has a bent portion, a Dean vortex is generated, and a phenomenon occurs in which particles that have passed through the filter return to the original microchannel again through the filter, which may reduce the classification efficiency. Here, the reduction in classification efficiency refers to either or both of the fact that classification is not performed sufficiently (classification accuracy is low) and that classification takes a long time.
It is not excluded that the supply path for feeding the particle dispersion liquid to the supply port of the microchannel and the discharge path connected to the discharge port have a bent portion, and that the Dean vortex It is not excluded that the film has such a degree of curvature that the occurrence of is not a problem.

The channel width (represented by the equivalent circle diameter) of the microchannel according to the present embodiment is 10 μm to 5 cm, more preferably 20 μm to 2 cm, further preferably 40 μm to 1 cm, and still more preferably. Is from 50 μm to 500 μm.
The microchannel has a small size and a low flow velocity, and is a laminar flow-dominated device rather than a turbulent flow-dominated device as in a normal device. The Reynolds number is 2,300 or less in the case of laminar flow.

Here, the Reynolds number (Re) is represented by the following formula.
Re = uL / ν
(U: flow velocity, L: representative length, ν: kinematic viscosity coefficient)

The flow path length is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected within a range in which a sufficient contact area between the filter and the fluid can be obtained and sufficient classification can be performed, but is preferably 500 μm or more and 10 cm or less. More preferably, it is 5 cm or less.
The flow path length within the above range is preferable because a sufficient contact area between the filter and the fluid can be secured, the liquid feeding time of the flow path is short, and the processing speed (for example, classification speed) is high.

In the present embodiment, the micro flow channel is disposed with an inclination in the vertical direction, and the supply port provided in the micro flow channel is disposed above the discharge port connected without passing through the supply port and the filter. It is preferable.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the microchannel device of the present embodiment.
2A to 2C, the supply port 4 is disposed above the discharge port 5-1 connected without passing through the supply port 4 and the partition wall (filter) 3. By disposing the supply port 4 above the discharge port 5-1, the flow direction of the fluid can be changed from upward to downward, and clogging of particles can be suppressed, which is preferable.
Moreover, it is preferable that the filter surface which particle | grains contact has faced the perpendicular direction downward direction (gravity direction). In this case, coarse particles that cannot pass through the filter are not pressed against the filter by gravity, and conversely, a force that separates from the filter surface is generated, which is preferable because clogging is unlikely to occur.

As an example in which the microchannel has an inclination and the supply port 4 is disposed above the discharge port 5-1 connected to the supply port 4 without passing through the partition wall (filter) 3, FIG. The aspect shown to (A) and FIG. 2 (B) can be illustrated. In FIG. 2 (A), the bottom surface of the micro flow path 2-1 fed from the supply port 4 is formed of a base material, and in FIG. 2 (B), the micro flow path 2 fed from the supply port. The bottom surface of -1 is the partition wall 3.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the bottom surface of the microchannel 2-1 is preferably a base material. Thereby, when the particle dispersion liquid A is sent, clogging of the filter is further suppressed, and the classification process can be performed continuously, which is preferable.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the supply path 6 and the discharge path 7 (7-1 and 7-2) are angled differently from the flow path direction of the micro flow path 2 (FIG. 2 ( A) and 90 ° in FIG. 2 (B), and may be parallel to the microchannel 2 as in the supply channel 6 shown in FIG. 2 (C), and is not particularly limited.

  1 and 2, one supply port and one supply path are provided, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and each micro flow path partitioned by a partition has a supply port. May be. In this case, it is preferable that the particle dispersion is supplied from one supply port and another liquid not containing particles is sent from the other supply port.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the microchannel device of this embodiment provided with two discharge ports and two filters.
In FIG. 3, the microchannel device 1 has a linear microchannel 2. In addition, the microchannel 2 is provided with two partition walls 3-1 and 3-2 formed by a filter, and three microchannels 2 (2-1, 2-2 and 2-3) are provided. ).
In the microchannel 2, the flow direction of the fluid is parallel to the microchannel 2, and is indicated by an arrow R in FIG. The partition walls 3-1 and 3-2 are provided so as to intersect with the fluid flow direction R. In FIG. 3, the inclination angle between the fluid flow and the partition walls is indicated by θ.

Further, in FIG. 3, the microchannel 2 is supplied with fluid supplied to one channel 2-1 among three channels (2-1, 2-2, and 2-3) partitioned by a partition wall. A mouth 4 is provided. In FIG. 3, the microchannel device 1 includes a supply path 6 for feeding a fluid to the supply port 4.
The preferable range of introduction of the particle dispersion A into the supply port 6 and the flow rate of the particle dispersion A in the microchannel are as described above.

When the particle dispersion A is supplied from the supply port 4 to the microchannel 2-1 through the supply channel 6, the dispersion A is sent in parallel with the microchannel 2 (arrow R in FIG. 1). Of the particles in the particle dispersion A, particles smaller than the openings provided in the partition wall (filter) 3-1 pass through the filter 3-1 and move to the microchannel 2-2. On the other hand, particles having a size larger than the mesh size are fed through the flow channel 2-1 and discharged as particle dispersion B from the discharge port 5-1 to the outside of the micro flow channel device 1 through the discharge channel 7-1. The
Of the particles that have moved to the microchannel 2-2, particles that are smaller than the openings provided in the partition wall (filter) 3-2 pass through the partition wall (filter) 3-2 and pass through the microchannel 2- Move to 3. Here, the opening of the partition wall (filter) 3-2 is set smaller than the opening of the partition wall (filter) 3-1. Particles having a size smaller than the opening of the partition wall (filter) 3-1 and larger than the opening of the partition wall (filter) 3-2 are fed through the microchannel 2-2 to form a particle dispersion C. The liquid is discharged from the discharge port 5-2 to the outside of the microchannel device 1 through the discharge path 7-2. On the other hand, particles smaller than the opening of the partition wall (filter) 3-2 pass through the partition wall (filter) 3-2, move to the microchannel 2-3, and are discharged as the particle dispersion D 5-3. Is discharged to the outside of the microchannel device 1 through the discharge channel 7-3.

<Partition wall>
In the present embodiment, an inclined partition wall that intersects the fluid flow direction is disposed in the microchannel.
When the partition walls are arranged in parallel with the fluid flow direction, the movement of the particles in the particle dispersion depends on diffusion, and the movement speed of the particles between the flow paths partitioned by the partition walls is low. Classification efficiency is poor. As a result, the required channel length is long. On the other hand, when the partition walls are arranged perpendicular to the fluid flow direction, high classification efficiency is obtained, but the filter is clogged with particles, and continuous processing cannot be performed.
The partition is not particularly limited as long as it separates the flow path into two or more, but is preferably a partition that separates the flow path into two. When separating the micro flow path into three or more, as shown in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, two slanted partition walls that intersect the fluid flow direction are arranged upstream and downstream of the micro flow path. An example is a micro-channel apparatus in which the partition wall is a filter with a large opening and the downstream partition wall is a filter with a small opening, and is classified into three.

The partition wall is inclined with respect to the fluid flow direction. When the classification process is performed in the microchannel device, it is preferable that the partition wall is provided with an inclination so that the channel for supplying the particle dispersion becomes narrower among the channels partitioned by the partition wall.
The inclination angle is 0 ° when the partition wall is provided parallel to the flow path (parallel to the fluid flow), and the inclination angle is 90 ° when the partition wall is provided perpendicular to the flow path (perpendicular to the fluid flow). In this case, the inclination angle of the partition wall is more than 0 ° and less than 90 °, preferably 60 ° or less, more preferably 45 ° or less, and further preferably 30 ° or less. Further, it is preferably 5 ° or more, more preferably 10 ° or more, and further preferably 20 ° or more. It is preferable for the inclination angle to be in the above range since clogging is difficult and classification efficiency is excellent.

<Filter>
In the present embodiment, the partition wall of the microchannel is formed by a filter.
The filter is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a mesh filter woven from plastic fibers or metal fibers, a metal film formed into a filter shape by etching, a plastic honeycomb film by self-organization, and the like.
In this embodiment, the aperture of the filter may be appropriately selected according to the particle size of the particles contained in the particle dispersion and the desired lower limit (or upper limit) of classification, but is 0.1 μm or more and 100 μm or less. It is preferably 1 μm or more and 50 μm or less, more preferably 2 μm or more and 15 μm or less. Here, the opening means the maximum diameter of spherical particles that can pass through. On the other hand, what is important for classification accuracy is the uniformity of openings. This is expressed by a coefficient of variation, preferably 20% or less, more preferably 10% or less, and still more preferably 5% or less.
It is preferable that the aperture of the filter and the uniformity (coefficient of variation) are within the above ranges because the classification efficiency is excellent.
In this embodiment, the aperture ratio (opening ratio) of the filter is preferably 5% or more, more preferably 20 to 60%, and even more preferably 40 to 60%. It is preferable for the opening ratio to be within the above range because the strength of the filter is high, the pressure loss is small, and the liquid feeding amount can be increased.

Examples of the mesh filter include nylon mesh, polyester mesh, polypropylene mesh, Teflon (registered trademark) mesh, and polyethylene mesh as woven plastic fibers. Further, fibers woven with two or more kinds of fibers such as nylon mesh woven with carbon fiber and nylon mesh woven with carbon fiber can be exemplified. Furthermore, the mesh filter (For example, V screen (made by NBC)) woven with the fiber of a core-sheath double structure is also mentioned.
An example of the metal fiber is a mesh filter woven with SUS or the like.
In addition, a metal film provided with openings by etching the metal film or the like can also be used.
Furthermore, a metal film produced by electroforming can also be used.

Examples of the plastic honeycomb film by self-organization include the films described in JP-A Nos. 2001-157574 and 2005-262777. Examples of the material include biodegradable polymers (for example, biodegradable aliphatic polyesters such as polylactic acid and polyhydroxybutyric acid, aliphatic polycarbonates such as polybutylene carbonate and polyethylene carbonate) and amphiphilic polymers (for example, polyethylene glycol. Polypropylene glycol block copolymer, polymer having acrylamide polymer as main chain skeleton, and having both dodecyl group as hydrophobic side chain and lactose group or carboxyl group as hydrophilic side chain, anion such as heparin, dextran sulfate, nucleic acid of DNA, RNA, etc. And a composite material containing an ion complex of a hydrophilic polymer and a long-chain alkylammonium salt, an amphiphilic polymer having a water-soluble protein such as gelatin, collagen, and albumin as a hydrophilic group.
In addition, examples of the material of the honeycomb film include polyimide, polycarbonate, and polybutadiene.

  Among these, a plastic film, a polycarbonate film, and a polyimide film by self-assembly are preferable from the viewpoint of obtaining a high aperture ratio. When the aperture ratio is high, the throughput can be increased and the efficiency can be improved.

<Particle>
The microchannel device of the present embodiment can be suitably used as a particle classification device. That is, it is suitable as a classification device that supplies the particle dispersion from the supply port and discharges the classified particles from the discharge port.
The particles to be classified are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include resin fine particles, inorganic fine particles, metal fine particles, and ceramic fine particles.
The particle diameter in the particle dispersion is preferably 0.01 μm or more and 500 μm or less, more preferably 0.1 μm or more and 200 μm or less, and further preferably 0.1 μm or more and 50 μm or less. It is preferable for the particle diameter to fall within the above range because clogging of the flow path can be suppressed and good classification efficiency can be obtained. Further, it is preferable because particles hardly adhere to the inner wall of the flow path.

  The shape of the particles is not particularly limited. However, the shape of the particles is needle-shaped, and in particular, the possibility of clogging may increase when the major axis is larger than ¼ of the channel width. From such a viewpoint, the ratio of the major axis length to the minor axis length (major axis length / minor axis length) of the particles is preferably in the range of 1 to 50, and more preferably in the range of 1 to 20. In addition, it is preferable to select the flow path width appropriately according to the particle diameter and the particle shape.

  The types of particles used in the classification method of the present embodiment can be those listed below, but are not limited thereto. For example, polymer fine particles, organic crystals or aggregates such as pigments, inorganic crystals or aggregates, metal fine particles, or metal compound fine particles such as metal oxides, metal sulfides, and metal nitrides. Further, fine particles such as rubbers, waxes (fine particle wax), hollow particles and the like can be mentioned.

  Specific examples of the polymer fine particles include polyvinyl butyral resin, polyvinyl acetal resin, polyarylate resin, polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, phenoxy resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinylidene chloride resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, and polystyrene resin. , Acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, styrene-acrylic resin, styrene-methacrylic resin, polyacrylamide resin, polyamide resin, polyvinyl pyridine resin, cellulose resin, polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, silicone resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, casein, vinyl chloride Vinyl acetate copolymer, modified vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-maleic anhydride copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, vinylidene chloride-acrylonitrile Lil copolymer, styrene - alkyd resin, phenol - include fine particles such as formaldehyde resins.

The fine particles of the metal or metal compound include metals such as carbon black, zinc, aluminum, copper, iron, nickel, chromium, titanium, or alloys thereof, TiO ₂ , SnO ₂ , Sb ₂ O ₃ , In ₂ O. ₃ , metal oxides such as ZnO, MgO and iron oxide, compounds thereof, metal nitrides such as silicon nitride, and the like, and fine particles obtained by combining them.

As the fine particles of the rubber, nitrile rubber, styrene rubber, isobutylene rubber or the like can be used. The microparticulation can be performed by a mechanical system such as emulsion polymerization, freezing / cooling and pulverization.
As the fine particle wax, an emulsification / dispersion device described in Reaction Engineering Study Group Report-1 “Chapter 3 of Emulsion / Dispersion Technology and Particle Size Control of Polymer Fine Particles” published by Polymer Society of Japan in March 1995, etc. A finely divided particle can be used by any conventionally known method.

  The fine particle wax is dissolved in a suitable solvent that is compatible with heating and does not dissolve the release agent at room temperature, and is dissolved by heating and then gradually cooled to room temperature. After depositing fine particles in a gas phase by heating and evaporating the release agent in an inert gas such as helium (the dissolution precipitation method) Later, fine particle wax (release agent) obtained by a method of dispersing in a solvent (gas phase evaporation method) can be used. In the production of the above-mentioned fine particle wax, it can be further miniaturized when combined with a mechanical pulverization method using media or the like.

  Examples of the resin used as the raw material for the fine particle wax include low molecular weight polypropylene, low molecular weight polyethylene and the like, waxes and waxes, plant waxes such as carnauba wax, cotton wax, wood wax, and rice wax, beeswax, and lanolin. And animal waxes such as ozokerite and cercin, and petroleum waxes such as paraffin, microcrystalline and petrolactam. In addition to these natural waxes, synthetic hydrocarbon waxes such as Fischer-Tropsch wax may be mentioned. Among these, the resin used as the raw material for the fine particle wax is preferably low molecular weight polypropylene, low molecular weight polyethylene, carnauba wax, or paraffin.

  As the hollow particles, inorganic or organic hollow particles can be used. In inorganic systems, silica systems, silica / alumina systems, and organic systems are preferably resin systems. Further, the number of voids in the particle may be one or plural. The porosity is not particularly limited, but is preferably 20% to 80%, and more preferably 30% to 70%. Specifically, for example, inorganic phyllite phyllite, Sakai Kogyo senolite, and organic phyllite expandx, Sekisui ADVAN CELL, JSR SX866 (A), SX866 (B), Nipol MH5055 manufactured by Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd. and the like can be mentioned. Of these, EXPANSEL manufactured by Nippon Philite Co., Ltd. is preferably used as the hollow particles. In particular, thermally expandable fine particles such as Expandel DU are used after being expanded to a desired size by appropriate heating.

  Furthermore, there are a variety of methods for producing these fine particles. Fine particles may be produced in a liquid medium by synthesis, and fine particles may be classified as they are. May be. In this case, it is often crushed in a liquid medium and may be classified as it is.

  On the other hand, when the powder (fine particles) produced by the dry process is classified, it is necessary to disperse it in a liquid medium in advance. Examples of the method for dispersing the dry powder in the medium include a sand mill, a colloid mill, an attritor, a ball mill, a dyno mill, a high pressure homogenizer, an ultrasonic disperser, a coball mill, and a roll mill. Is preferably carried out under conditions that do not crush.

  In the present embodiment, the content of the particles in the particle dispersion is preferably 0.1 to 40% by volume, and more preferably 0.5 to 25% by volume. Furthermore, it is preferable that it is 1-10 volume%. When the ratio of the particles in the particle dispersion is 0.1% by volume or more, recovery is good, and when it is 40% by volume or less, clogging is less likely to occur.

  In the present embodiment, the volume average particle size of the particles is a value measured using a Coulter Counter TA-II type (manufactured by Coulter Co.) except for the following particle size (5 μm or less). In this case, measurement was performed using an optimum aperture depending on the particle size level of the particles. However, when the particle size of the particles was 5 μm or less, the particle size was measured using a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution analyzer (LA-920, manufactured by Horiba, Ltd.).

(Manufacture of micro-channel device)
In the present embodiment, the material of the microchannel device is not particularly limited, and materials generally used for the microchannel device such as metal, ceramics, plastic, glass, and the like can be used, and the dispersion medium for feeding liquid It can be appropriately selected depending on the above.

As an example of the manufacturing method of the micro-channel device, in FIG. 1, a channel having an inclination in the depth direction as shown in FIG.
In FIG. 1, the flow path has a flow path width that is the same as the flow path width (represented by a in FIG. 1) in the depth direction of the page, and has a square flow path cross section. By sandwiching the partition wall (filter) 3 between the two substrates 20 and 21, the microchannel device 1 of the present embodiment can be manufactured.
In the microchannel device 1 shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 21 manufactured as described above is cut in parallel to the filter contact surface to form substrates 21 and 21 ′, and a partition (filter) between the substrates 20 and 21. It can be manufactured by sandwiching 3-1 and sandwiching a partition wall (filter) 3-2 between the substrates 21 and 21 '.

(Classification method)
The classification method of the present embodiment includes a step of sending the particle dispersion liquid to any one of the microchannels partitioned by the partition wall of the microchannel device of the present embodiment, and particles containing particles that have passed through the filter. It includes a step of collecting the dispersion liquid (1) and the particle dispersion liquid (2) containing particles that do not pass through the filter from the respective outlets.
As described above, the classification method of the present embodiment is suitable for classifying particles of 0.01 μm or more and 500 μm or less, suitable for particles of 0.1 μm or more and 200 μm or less, and classifying particles of 0.1 μm or more and 50 μm or less. It is further suitable for.
The classification method of this embodiment will be described in detail by taking the microchannel device shown in FIG. 2A as an example. The particle dispersion A is fed from the supply port 4 to the microchannel 2-1 through the supply path 6.
The flow direction of the particle dispersion (fluid) is parallel to the flow path, and is indicated by an arrow R in FIG. When fine particles and coarse particles are contained in the particle dispersion, the fine particles pass through the partition wall (filter) 3 and move to the fine flow path 2-2. Coarse particles cannot pass through the partition wall (filter) 3 and are fed through the microchannel 2-1. Here, since the filter has an inclination so as to intersect the fluid flow direction, coarse particles are unlikely to clog the filter. That is, the fluid flows to the downstream as it rolls on the filter, and is sent to the discharge path 7-1 through the discharge port 5-1. In particular, it is preferable that the contact surface with the filter particles is directed in the direction of gravity (downward in the vertical direction). In this case, coarse particles that cannot pass through the filter are not pressed against the filter by gravity, and conversely the filter surface. Since the force which leaves | separates arises, it is hard to produce clogging, and is preferable.
Further, the contact area between the filter and the fine particle dispersion is large, and high classification efficiency can be obtained. Furthermore, for example, a filter with a large area can be used as compared with the case where the filter is provided perpendicular to the flow path. As a result, when processing the same amount of sample, the frequency of use per opening is small, Hard to damage. As a result, a filter with a high aperture ratio can be used, and the pressure loss can be reduced and the throughput can be increased.

By appropriately selecting the opening of the filter, fine particles having a desired particle size or less pass through the partition wall (filter) and move to the fine flow path 2-2. Here, when the microchannel has a bent portion, a Dean vortex is generated and the microparticles pass through the filter again and return to the microchannel 2-1 that has supplied the particle dispersion A. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the microchannel is linear as described above, and it is preferable to suppress the phenomenon that the microparticles return to the side containing coarse particles again.
Therefore, there is no coarse particles mixed in the effluent C, and the minute particles are mixed into the effluent B very little compared to a method of classifying by a curved channel (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

<Measurement of Volume Average Primary Particle Size, Volume Average Particle Size Distribution Index GSDv, Number Average Particle Size Distribution Index GSDp>
The values of the volume average primary particle size, the volume average particle size distribution index GSDv, and the number average particle size distribution index GSDp were measured and calculated as follows. First, the individual toner particle size distribution measured using a measuring instrument such as Coulter Counter TAII (manufactured by Nikka Kisha Co., Ltd.) or Multisizer II (manufactured by Nikka Kisha Co., Ltd.) is divided into individual particle size ranges (channels). A cumulative distribution is drawn from the small diameter side with respect to the volume and number of the particles, and the particle diameter at which accumulation is 16% is defined as the volume average particle diameter D16v and the number average particle diameter D16p, and the particle diameter at which accumulation is 50%, It is defined as a volume average particle diameter D50v and a number average particle diameter D50p. Similarly, particle diameters that are 84% cumulative are defined as volume average particle diameter D84v and number average particle diameter D84p. At this time, the volume average particle size distribution index (GSDv) is defined as D84v / D16v, and the number average particle size index (GSDp) is defined as D84p / D16p. GSDv) and number average particle size index (GSDp) were calculated.

<Microdevice fabrication method>
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the microchannel device used in the examples.
One side of an acrylic resin plate having a thickness of 10 mm was dug with an end mill to produce parts on both sides with a filter as a boundary. At this time, the microchannel 2-1 and the microchannel 2-2 were dug diagonally in the depth direction. Further, the supply path 6 and the discharge paths 7-1 and 7-2 were formed by making through holes in the flow paths, respectively. Thereafter, the honeycomb film was sandwiched and fixed with screws. Thereby, the microdevice which has a filter in the diagonal position like FIG. 4 was able to be produced.
The honeycomb film is a self-organized film made of polycarbonate, has an opening (hole diameter) of 15 μm, a thickness of 15 μm, an aperture ratio of 50%, and a variation coefficient of 3%.
In FIG. 4, the channel length b is 3,000 μm, the channel width of the microchannel 2 is 1,000 μm × 300 μm, the supply channel 6 is 300 μm × 300 μm, the discharge channel 7-1 is 50 μm × 300 μm, and the discharge channel. 7-2 was 250 μm × 300 μm.
Further, as the particle dispersion A, particles having a volume average particle diameter D50v 6.8 μm, a volume average particle size distribution index (GSDv) 1.22, a number average particle diameter index (GSDp) 1.24, and a volume particle diameter (D) of 16 μm or more. A particle dispersion containing about 1.2% by weight was used. The particles were made of styrene acrylic resin, and water was used as a dispersion medium. The particle content was about 1% by volume.
The liquid feeding was performed with a syringe pump, and the liquid feeding speed was 1.5 mL / min.

Example 1
The continuous operation for 2 hours was performed, and the particle dispersion B discharged from the discharge path 7-1 and the particle dispersion C discharged from the discharge path 7-2 were recovered.
Volume average primary particle size, volume average particle size distribution index GSDv and number average particle size distribution index GSDp were measured for particle dispersion A supplied to the microchannel and particle dispersions B and C collected from the microchannel, respectively. .

(Example 2)
Instead of the honeycomb film used in Example 1, a metal mesh filter (aperture 15 μm, aperture ratio 47%, thickness 6 μm, variation coefficient 2%) using a plating method was used, and the amount of the particle dispersion fed was changed. Classification was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the volume was 3 mL / min.

(Comparative Example 1)
Classification was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the filter surface was 90 ° with the fluid flow direction.
As a result, filter clogging occurred in 10 minutes, and further continuous operation could not be performed.

(Comparative Example 2)
Classification was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the fluid was sent vertically downward (gravity direction) and the filter surface was parallel to the fluid flow direction.

  The results are shown in the table below.

It is sectional drawing showing one Embodiment of the microchannel apparatus of this embodiment. It is the cross-sectional schematic which shows the other embodiment of the microchannel apparatus of this embodiment. It is the cross-sectional schematic which shows an example of the microchannel apparatus of this embodiment which provided the discharge port and two filters. It is the cross-sectional schematic which shows the microchannel apparatus used in the Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Microchannel device 2 (2-1, 2-2, 2-3) Microchannel 3 (3-1, 3-2) Partition 4 Supply port 5 (5-1, 5-2, 5-3) Discharge port 6 Supply path 7 (7-1, 7-2, 7-3) Discharge path 20, 21, 21 'Substrate

Claims (6)

Having a microchannel,
In the microchannel, an inclined partition wall that intersects the fluid flow direction is disposed,
A supply port for supplying fluid to at least one of the flow paths partitioned by the partition;
A discharge port is provided in each of the flow paths partitioned by the partition wall,
The microchannel apparatus, wherein the partition wall is a filter.   The microchannel device according to claim 1, wherein the filter is arranged with an inclination of an angle greater than 0 ° and less than 60 ° in a flow direction of the microchannel.   The micro flow according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the micro flow path is disposed with an inclination in a vertical direction, and a supply port is disposed above a discharge port connected to the supply port without passing through a filter. Road equipment.   The microchannel device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the filter is a honeycomb film having an opening of 0.5 µm to 500 µm and a thickness of 0.5 µm to 50 µm.   The microchannel device according to claim 1, which is a classification device. A step of feeding the fine particle dispersion to any one of the microchannels partitioned by the partition wall of the microchannel device according to claim 5; and
A fine particle classification method comprising a step of recovering a fine particle dispersion (1) containing fine particles that have passed through a filter and a fine particle dispersion (2) containing fine particles that have not passed through a filter from respective outlets.

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