Solid-gap multilayers for thermal insulation and management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11110682-B2
Application number	US-201716300492-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2017
Priority date	May 13, 2016
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

A multilayer structure comprising solid layers and defining at least one gap that separates the solid layers to form an alternating pattern of the solid layers and the at least one gap in the structure.

First claim

We claim:

1. A multilayer structure comprising two or more solid layers, wherein each solid layer is separated from an adjacent solid layer by a gap, such that the multilayer structure comprises an alternating pattern of solid layers and gaps, and wherein the two or more solid layers are pre-stressed,
wherein the solid layers are electrified, magnetized, or electrified and magnetized; wherein electrified layers are electrified via corona charging, thermal charging, space charging, grafting of charged components, adsorption of charged components, absorption of charged components, blending of charged components, mixing of charged components, embedding of charged components, heat charging, glow discharging, plasma treating, or combinations thereof; and wherein magnetized layers are magnetized via embedding, grafting, blending, mixing, attaching, adhering, adsorption, or absorption of magnetized components, or combinations thereof;
wherein the electrified layers have a non-uniform electric field distribution or a non-uniform magnetic field distribution along a surface of a layer in a planar direction, along a thickness of a layer in a transverse direction, or both; wherein the non-uniform electric field distribution or the non-uniform magnetic field distribution comprises dotted, stripped, curved, straight, circular, star-shaped, mesh-like, oval, rectangle, square, hexagonal, or irregular shapes, or combinations thereof.

2. The multilayer structure of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the two or more solid layers is pre-stressed to a different magnitude than an adjacent solid layer.

3. The multilayer structure of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the two or more solid layers is pre-stressed in a different direction than an adjacent solid layer.

4. The multilayer structure of claim 1 , wherein the multilayer structure is adapted to receive an amount of gas such that an inner pressure within one or more of the gaps is adjustable, or the thickness of one or more of the gaps is adjustable.

5. The multilayer structure of claim 1 , further comprising one or more discontinuous components within one or more of the gaps, wherein the discontinuous components provide support for the two or more solid layers, and wherein the one or more discontinuous components comprise a fiber, a tube, a pillar, a particle, a block, a tape, a band, a fiber bundle, a particle cluster, a pillar array, or a combination thereof.

6. The multilayer structure of claim 5 , wherein the one or more discontinuous components within a gap have a total area that is less than 10%, less than 1%, less than 0.1%, or less than 0.01% of the area of a solid layer defining a side of the gap.

7. The multilayer structure of claim 1 , wherein the two or more solid layers comprise a metal, a metal alloy, a polymer, an elastomer, a carbon material, a ceramic, glass, a composite material, or a combination or components thereof.

8. The multilayer structure of claim 1 , wherein one or both sides of the two or more solid layers are covered by a magnetically neutral layer, an electrically neutral layer, or a partly neutral layer.

9. The multilayer structure of claim 8 , wherein the neutral or partly neutral layers are uniform, heterogeneous, anisotropic, or a combination thereof.

10. The multilayer structure of claim 1 , wherein each of the thicknesses of the two or more solid layers and the at least one gap are 1 μm or less.

11. The multilayer structure of claim 1 , wherein the multilayer structure is adapted for thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, thermal management, acoustic management, or combinations thereof.

12. The multilayer structure of claim 1 , wherein the solid layers comprise a low-emissivity material.

13. The multilayer structure of claim 12 , wherein the low-emissivity material comprises one or more polymers, ceramics, elastomers, glasses, semiconductors, or conductors.

14. The multilayer structure of claim 13 , wherein the low-emissivity material comprises one or more of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), aluminum, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, indium tin oxide, zirconium oxide, or another oxide.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Qiao Yu
• Zhong Ying

Classifications

• B32B2307/414

  Translucent · CPC title

• B32B27/12

  next to a fibrous or filamentary layer · CPC title

• B32B15/088

  comprising polyamides · CPC title

• B32B3/08 Primary

  characterised by added members at particular parts {(layer formed of separate pieces of material which are juxtaposed side-by-side B32B3/14, B32B3/18)} · CPC title

• B32B27/304

  comprising vinyl halide (co)polymers, e.g. PVC, PVDC, PVF, PVDF · CPC title