Patent Application
20070272148
The present invention relates to a method of forming an inorganic film which is applied to surfaces of iron, aluminum, a synthetic resin, a glass and a rubber used in automobiles, railroad vehicles, ships, aircrafts, and home electric appliances and coated surfaces thereof, and an apparatus therefore.
Previously, a dust, a smut and a worm are easily adhered to surfaces of apparatuses used outdoors such as automobiles, railroad vehicles, ships and aircrafts, and it was always necessary to clean them. Although, surfaces of these apparatuses are usually covered or protected with surface films by wax or polymer processing, since those materials are organic products, it is pointed out that they become an environmental pollution source.
In addition, these protective films have a weak point that they easily undergo influence of weathering with ultraviolet-ray, and appearance and function are deteriorated such as fading of a coated film and deterioration in a luster and, further, since a protective film itself is soft, it is easily given a flaw, and protection of appearance is not sufficient. For this reason, it is necessary to frequently repeat wax or polymer processing, and there is also a problem that the material cost and the number of steps are required.
In order to deal with such problems, a procedure of forming a silica borate film by electrodeposition action with a charge generated by tourmaline has been proposed (see Patent Literature 1).
However, it still cannot be said that a protective film obtained by this method is sufficient in film durability. Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2000-192086: “Claims” paragraph (0009), (0010)
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
The present invention was done in order to solve the aforementioned problems, and provides a method of forming an inorganic film excellent in durability and of low cost making the previous wax or polymer processing unnecessary, and can contribute to pollution suppression and environmental preservation, and an apparatus therefore. Further, the present invention provides a method of forming an inorganic film having cleaning function capable of oxidatively degrading and removing a polluting substance itself, and an apparatus therefore.
Means to Solve the Problems
The aforementioned problems can be solved by a first invention of a method of forming an inorganic film, comprising contacting raw water with a ceramic particle containing at least silicon and aluminum as a dissolving out component to dissolve out the charged dissolving out component in this raw water with an exciting current to obtain charged water, and contacting this charged water with a work by spraying the charged water to a work surface or immersing a work in this charged water, thereby, forming an inorganic film containing oxide of the dissolving out component as a main component on a surface thereof.
And, in the aforementioned invention, it is preferable to use, as the ceramic particle, a ceramic particle containing one kind of ore selected from quartz porphyry, tourmaline and calcareons-oolite (Bakuhanseki), or a mixture of two or more kinds of ores of them, or a ceramic particle having a film containing one or two or more kinds of those ores as a film component. In addition, the invention is preferably embodied in an aspect that the charged water is passed in an electromagnetic field to generate an induced current and, thereafter, this is supplied for forming the film. And, this first invention can be embodied in an aspect that a ceramic particle containing, as a dissolving out component, titanium in addition to silicon and aluminum is used.
Also, the aforementioned problems can be solved by the next second invention of an apparatus for forming an inorganic film. That is, the aforementioned problems can be solved by an apparatus for forming an inorganic film for implementing the first invention of the method of forming an inorganic film, comprising a charged water producing tank provided with a raw water supplying port, wherein in an interior thereof, a ceramic particle containing one or two or more kinds of ores selected from quartz porphyry, tourmaline and calcareons-oolite which can contact with water to dissolve out at least silicon and aluminum on at least a surface part is filled so that raw water supplied from the raw water supplying port can be passed therethrough while contacting with the ceramic particle, and a charged water taking out port for taking out produced charged water, a magnetic field treating tank provided with a charged water feeding port for feeding the charged water and a magnetic field-treated water taking out port for taking out magnetic field-treated water, wherein in an interior thereof, an S pole and an N pole for forming an electromagnetic field are arranged, and a passage water path for passage of charged water, and a film forming tank provided with a means for contacting magnetic field-treated water with a surface of a work arranged in a tank.
This invention is also embodied in an aspect that a ceramic particle containing one or two or more kinds of ores selected from quartz porphyry, tourmaline and calcareons-oolite which can dissolve out titanium in addition to silicon and aluminum on at least a surface part is filled.
Effect of the Invention
The method of forming an inorganic film and the apparatus therefore of the present invention are constructed as explained above, and are based on the following characteristic principle. That is, (1) the inorganic film of the present invention is a SiO2—Al2O3 system ore (stone) film in a first embodiment, and a SiO2—Al2O3—TiO2 system ore (stone) film in a second embodiment, (2) has a character of an ultra thin-type plating at a nanometer level, and (3) is an electrochemical reaction plating which is implemented by a particular means.
The thus obtained inorganic film, in the case of the SiO2—Al2O3 system film (first embodiment), has the excellent effect that it realizes the low cost and excellent durability, makes the previous wax or polymer processing unnecessary, and can contribute to pollution suppression and environmental preservation. Further, in the case of SiO2—Al2O3—TiO2 system film (second embodiment), since the organic film can degrade and remove a polluting substance itself, it has the effect that it is particularly suitable for suppression of pollution of an organic system. Therefore, the present invention has the extremely great practical value as a method of forming an inorganic film and an apparatus therefore which have solved the previous problems.
Then, an embodiment of the method of forming an inorganic film and the apparatus therefore of the present invention will be explained referring to FIGS. 1 to 8.
The first embodiment of the method of forming an inorganic film of the present invention together with the apparatus for forming the inorganic film is explained, and the apparatus of the present invention is constructed of at least a charged water producing tank 1, a magnetic field treating tank 2, and a film forming tank 3 as exemplified in
This charged water producing tank 1 is provided with a raw water supplying port 11 for introducing raw water a such as tap water and well water, and a charged water taking out port 12 for taking out charged water b after treatment, and is constructed of a ceramic particle-filled part 13 in which, in an interior thereof, an infinite number of ceramic particles 14 containing at least silicon and aluminum as a dissolving out component are filled so that they are contacted with water to dissolve out at least silicon and aluminum.
This ceramic particle 14 is suitably a generally spherical particle of a particle diameter of 3 to 10 mm consisting of a SiO2—Al2O3 system ceramic and, in order to enhance an efficiency of producing charged water described later, a ceramic particle containing one kind of ore selected from quartz porphyry, tourmaline and calcareons-oolite containing at least silicon and aluminum, or a mixture of two or more kinds of ores of them at 50% or more is preferable, and a ceramic particle having a film containing one or two or more kinds of aforementioned ores containing at least silicon and aluminum at 50% or more as a film component is more preferable.
And, these ceramic particles are filled in a ceramic particle-filled part 13 in the state where raw water a fed through a raw water supplying port 11 can pass therethrough while contacting with the ceramic particle 14. For example, since it is preferable that a ceramic particle 14 is flown and stirred by a water stream of raw water a, thereby, a ceramic particle 14 and raw water a are contacted well, it is better that a ceramic particle 14 is flowably filled.
In this charged water producing tank 1, when raw water a is contacted with the ceramic particle 14, electricity is instantaneously discharged in water, and a dissolving out component of at least silicon and aluminum is dissolved out in the charged state together with an exciting current from a ceramic particle 14, thereby, activated charged water b is obtained. This exciting current is semi-eternally obtained from the ceramic particle 14, and becomes a main starting force for forming an inorganic film of the present invention.
Next, a magnetic field treating tank 2 is provided with a charged water feeding port 21 for feeding charged water b obtained in the charged water producing tank 1 and a magnetic field-treated water taking out port 22 for taking out magnetic field-treated water c, and is constructed such that, in an interior thereof, an S pole 23a and an N pole 23b for forming an electromagnetic field are arranged, and a passage water path 24 for passage of charged water b is provided therebetween.
In this magnetic field treating tank 2, since the charged water b having a charge is passed in an electromagnetic field formed by an S pole 23a and an N pole 23b, a predetermined induced current is generated by a Faraday rule, and charged water b is taken out as more activated magnetic field-treated water c. For this magnetic field treatment, an intensity of this electromagnetic field is set at preferably 0.10 to 0.80 mG, more preferably 0.30 to 0.80 mG.
In the method of forming an inorganic film of the present invention, although a certain extent of an inorganic film is obtained even when this magnetic field treatment is not performed, preferable results are obtained in particularly stability of film formation, and durability of a formed film when magnetic field treatment is performed. Therefore, in the present invention, it is a preferable method when this magnetic field treatment is performed.
Next, a film forming tank 3 in the present invention is provided with a magnetic field-treated water feeding port 31 for feeding magnetic field-treated water c obtained in the magnetic field treating tank 2, and a treated waste water taking out port 32 for taking out treated waste water d, and is provided with a nozzle 34 for spraying pressurized magnetic field-treated water c to a surface of a work 33 in the case of
In this film forming tank 3, by contacting a surface of a work 33 with magnetic field-treated water c, a dissolving out component of at least silicon and aluminum in magnetic field-treated water c forms an inorganic film on a surface of a work 33 by an electrochemical reaction according to cathode reduction precipitation. As a result of photoelectron analysis (ESCA), it has been found out that this inorganic film is a SiO2—Al2O3 system glassy film containing, as a main component, oxides of dissolving out components of silicon and aluminum, in which respective oxides are bound.
Although a method of immersing a work 33 in magnetic field-treated water c is of course possible for such film formation, it is preferable to spray pressurized magnetic field-treated water c to a whole surface of a work 33 using a spraying nozzle as exemplified in
In the present invention, it is preferable to retain a sum of the aforementioned exciting current, induced current and impact current at 0.05 to 0.07 mA. The reason is that an inorganic film excellent in durability described later is assuredly formed.
In addition, a relationship between the spraying pressure and a thickness of the resulting film in the present invention is as exemplified in
In addition, a relationship between a treating time in a film forming tank 3 and a thickness of the resulting film in the present invention is as exemplified in FIG.3 and, even at around instantaneous one second, a film of a thickness of 10 to 100 nm is obtained, but in order to obtain a stable film of 10 to 60 nm, 10 seconds or longer is preferable, and 60 seconds or longer is not economical, being unnecessary. In addition, upon supply of the charged water to the film formation, it is preferable that a temperature of a treating solution in a film forming tank 3 in the present invention is retained at 30 to 50° C. The reason is that, at a temperature in this range, an electrochemical reaction is promoted, and a film is formed in the aforementioned short time.
The present invention can be applied to many kinds of members such as iron, aluminum, a synthetic resin, a glass and a rubber used as a constitutional member of automobiles, railroad vehicles, ships, aircrafts and home electric appliances. And, as the surface condition of these works, a material exposed surface and a coated surface of a resin coating may be applied without any disorder, and it is preferable that the present invention is applied to a coated surface from a viewpoint of protection of a member surface.
Then, some advantages of an inorganic film obtained by the present invention will be explained by FIGS. 4 to 6.
First,
Further,
The inorganic film obtained by the first embodiment of the present invention exerts excellent performance as compared with wax or similar polymer processing as explained above and, moreover, as described above, the method of forming an inorganic film and the apparatus therefore of the present invention necessitate little consumables and, since necessary operating power is slight, the operating cost of the apparatus is extremely small, and maintenance is easy, they are particularly excellent in economy.
Then, a second embodiment of the method of forming an inorganic film of the present invention will be explained by supplementing
A ceramic particle 14 of this second embodiment is composed of a SiO2—Al2O3—TiO2 system ceramic, a ceramic particle containing one kind of ore selected from quartz porphyry, tourmaline and calcareons-oolite containing silicon, aluminum and titanium, or a mixture of two or more kinds of ores of them at 50% or more is more preferable, and a ceramic particle having a film containing one or two or more kinds of aforementioned ores as a film component at 50% or more is more preferable. And, as the ore, an ore containing 0.20 to 3.0% of titanium in terms of titanium oxide can be preferably utilized.
Also in this second embodiment, the filled state of a ceramic particle in a charged water producing tank 1, and behaviors of raw water a and a ceramic particle 14 are the same as those of the previous case, and a dissolving out component of at least silicon, aluminum and titanium is dissolved out from a ceramic particle 14 in the charged state, thereby, activated charged water b is obtained.
Then, by a magnetic field treating tank 2 having the same construction and function as those explained above, charged water b is taken out as more activated magnetic field-treated water c. A preferable magnetic field intensity is as described above.
In addition, in the method of forming an inorganic film of a second embodiment, even when this magnetic field treatment is not performed, a certain extent of an inorganic film is obtained, but it is preferable to perform magnetic field treatment, as in the previous case.
Then, a film is formed in a film forming tank 3, and an instrument construction and operation therein are the same as those of the previous first embodiment. In the second embodiment, a dissolving out component of silicon, aluminum and titanium in magnetic field-treated water c forms an inorganic film on a surface of a work 33 by an electrochemical reaction according to cathode reduction precipitation.
In addition, as shown in
Further, also in the second embodiment, it is preferable to spray pressurized magnetic field-treated water c to a whole surface of a work 33 using a spraying nozzle exemplified in
In addition, like the first embodiment, this second embodiment can be also applied to many kinds of members such as iron, aluminum, a synthetic resin, a glass and a rubber used as a constitutional member of automobiles, railroad vehicles, ships, aircrafts and home electric appliances. And, functions of a film exemplified in
In addition, a graph of
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-109974 | Apr 2004 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP04/16983 | 11/16/2004 | WO | 5/15/2007 |
