Eurostar

Example 5

The entire process was performed inside a fume-hood. A desired length of fiber (5-10 m) of desired diameter (i.e. 500 micrometers, 200 micrometers) was wound on a customized reel with minimum surface contact. The reel was attached to a digital mixer (Eurostar, IKA Labortechnik) and then lowered in a narrow neck beaker filled with 800 mL of treatment solution (480 mL TFE, 320 mL deionized H₂O and 16 g tin oxalate, 40 mL Disperbyk 187 (Byk Chemie)). In cases where fibers are dyed pink/red, 1 g of Rhodamine 6G was added to the solution prior to fiber addition. The beaker was suspended in a temperature-controlled water bath on a programmable hot plate with an external temperature probe. The solution was agitated with a digital mixer (Eurostar, IKA Labortechnik), driving the reel at 350 RPM for 24 h at 37° C. The entire apparatus was sealed using saran wrap to prevent evaporation of TFE. After 24 h, the reel containing wound fibers was removed and allowed to air dry inside a fume hood for 1 h at which time the fiber was unwound from the reel and wound on spindles for later use.

Example 5

The entire process was performed inside a fume-hood. A desired length of fiber (5-10 m) of desired diameter (i.e. 500 micrometers, 200 micrometers) was wound on a customized reel with minimum surface contact. The reel was attached to a digital mixer (Eurostar, IKA Labodechnik) and then lowered in a narrow neck beaker filled with 800 mL of treatment solution (480 mL TFE, 320 mL deionized H₂O and 16 g tin oxalate, 40 mL Disperbyk 187 (Byk Chemie)). In cases where fibers are dyed pink/red, 1 g of Rhodamine 6G was added to the solution prior to fiber addition. The beaker was suspended in a temperature-controlled water bath on a programmable hot plate with an external temperature probe. The solution was agitated with a digital mixer (Eurostar, IKA Labortechnik), driving the reel at 350 RPM for 24 h at 37° C. The entire apparatus was sealed using saran wrap to prevent evaporation of TFE. After 24 h, the reel containing wound fibers was removed and allowed to air dry inside a fume hood for 1 h at which time the fiber was unwound from the reel and wound on spindles for later use.