MODESTO-LÓPEZ , Luis B.

Controlled ejection of liquids at capillary scales is a ubiquitous phenomenon associated with significant advances in, for instance, molecular biology or material synthesis. In this work, we introduce a high-throughput approach, which relies on a micromixing mechanism to eject and fragment viscous liquids, for production of microfibers from...

Polymer microfibers are ubiquitous structures across virtually all technological fields. Their applications include, for instance, filter media, tissue regeneration, wound healing and dressing, and reinforcement materials. The most effective methods for fabrication of fibrous micro and nanomaterials rely on electric fields to spin a liquid jet...

Flow Blurring® (FB) atomization is a highly efficient method to produce aerosols. It originates from an unexpected turbulent back flow motion in the interior of the atomizer. The onset for the appearance of such pattern is dictated by a geometrical parameter, ϕ, that is, the ratio of the distance from the tip of the liquid feeding tube to the...

Atomization of polymer solutions has important technological implications across many fields. Here, we investigated the atomization dynamics of diluted, polymer solutions using Flow Blurring (FB) technology. Aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene oxide) [PEO] of viscosity-averaged molecular weight in the range 100000 g/mol – 4000000 g/mol and...

Flow blurring (FB) atomizers are relatively simple yet robust devices used for the generation of sprays from solutions of a wide range of viscosities. In this work, we have demonstrated that FB devices may also be applied for massive production of liquid filaments from polymeric solutions. They can later be transformed into solid filaments and...

Micro/nanofibers are structures that nowadays have a wide range of cutting-edge applications including energy generation and storage devices, smart textiles, cell growth, and tissue engineering. These fibrous materials are mostly produced from polymer solutions spun, under laminar flow conditions, into nanofibers by external forces. However,...

Polymer filaments constitute precursor materials of so-called fiber mats, ubiquitous structures across cutting-edge technological fields. Thus, approaches that contribute to large-scale production of fibers are desired from an industrial perspective. Here, we use a robust liquid atomization device operated at relatively high flow rates, ~20...

Among the different polymers (proteins, polysaccharides, etc.) that make up natural fibers, fibroin is a protein produced by silk spinning animals, which have developed an optimized system for the conversion of a highly concentrated solution of this protein into high-performance solid fibers. This protein undergoes a self-assembly process in...

The diesel engine requirements regarding the reduction of exhaust emissions, especially nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) are becoming more stringent year by year. A current method used for NOx control is exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). However, this approach significantly increases the production of soot for medium and high...

The catalytic properties of Co-Al spinel nanoparticles prepared by liquid-feed flame spray pyrolysis (L-F FSP) were investigated in the glycerol conversion in gas phase in an atmosphere of hydrogen. Reduction at 1123 K of the as-synthesized spinel nanoparticles induced the formation a new phase containing metallic cobalt species. Although, the...