A reactor for coating particles includes one or more motors, a rotary vacuum chamber configured to hold particles to be coated and coupled to the motors, a controller configured to cause the motors to rotate the chamber in a first direction about an axial axis at a rotation speed sufficient to force the particles to be centrifuged against an inner diameter of the chamber, a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber, a paddle assembly including a rotatable drive shaft extending through the chamber and coupled to the motors and at least one paddle extending radially from the drive shaft, such that rotation of the drive shaft by the motors orbits the paddle about the drive shaft in a second direction, and a chemical delivery system including a gas outlet on the paddle configured inject process gas into the particles.

Methods for creating nanostructured surface features on polymers and polymer composites involve application of low pressure during curing of solid polymer material from a solvent solution. The resulting nanoscale surface features significantly decrease bacterial growth on the surface. Polymer materials having the nanoscale structuring can be used in implantable medical devices to inhibit bacterial growth and infection.

Disclosed are a defoaming device and a method of defoaming. The defoaming device includes a container having a side wall, a liquid flowing platform that is placed inside the container wherein the liquid flowing platform has a substantial same shape of the side wall and the liquid flowing platform and the side wall has a gap in between, and a solution inflow part attached to the container wherein the solution inflow part is used for allowing a liquid solution to enter the container; and a lifting apparatus attached to the container, where the lifting apparatus attaches to the liquid flowing platform inside the container, and the lifting apparatus is capable of driving the liquid flowing platform to move along the side wall of the container for defoaming the liquid solution when the liquid solution passes through the gap between the liquid flowing platform and the side wall.

A system for making and using a ground product that includes one or more of: a reactor operated to react a guar split with a reagent at a reaction temperature in a range of 120 F. to 180 F. to form a guar derivative, and a treatment and transfer section for optionally treating the guar derivative and transferring the guar derivative to a co-grinder. The co-grinder is operably associated with a heated vacuum system and is operated to co-grind an acid with the guar derivative to form a ground product.

The invention relates to a method for processing and/or handling solids and/or mixtures capable of deflagration, in particular for processing materials capable of deflagration in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, wherein the processing and/or handling is carried out in an environment under a reduced pressure of <500 mbara and, when a deflagration cannot be ruled out measures for extinguishing the deflagration are commenced, where the processing and/or handling comprises one or more process steps selected from a group consisting of filtration, milling, sieving, mixing, homogenization, granulation, compacting, dispensing, drying, storage and transport in a transport vessel and also other steps in apparatuses having mechanical internals.

A method for conveying a reaction tube unit including a vertical reaction tube and a gas supply pipe provided at a distance from an inner wall of the vertical reaction tube along a longitudinal direction thereof, the method includes: arranging a buffer inside the reaction tube between the inner wall and the gas supply pipe to alleviate a collision; placing the reaction tube unit attached with the buffer on a carriage via a vibration isolator; and conveying the reaction tube unit by moving the carriage.

A distillation apparatus for use in microwave-assisted pyrolysis includes a microwave, a pyrolysis reactor, a microwave-absorbent bed, and a condenser. The pyrolysis reactor is located within the microwave and configured to receive a liquid input stream and to output a vapor. The microwave-absorbent bed is located within the pyrolysis reactor that converts microwave energy provided by the microwave to thermal energy to initiate pyrolysis within the pyrolysis reactor, wherein the pyrolysis reactor provides a vapor output. The condenser is configured to receive the vapor output of the pyrolysis reactor and to cool and condense the vapor into a recoverable product.

A feedthrough for use in a vacuum chamber including a hollow tube, a first O-ring, and rod, and a vacuum fitting. The hollow tube having a first recess located along an entirety of an inner circumference. The first O-ring captured by the first recess. The rod carried by the hollow tube wherein an outer circumference of the rod is configured to contact an entirety of an inner circumference of the first O-ring. The vacuum fitting fixedly secured to the hollow tube.

Alignment systems employing actuators provide relative displacement between lid assemblies of process chambers and substrates, and related methods are disclosed. A process chamber includes chamber walls defining a process volume in which a substrate may be placed and the walls support a lid assembly of the process chamber. The lid assembly contains at least one of an energy source and a process gas dispenser. Moreover, an alignment system may include at least one each of a bracket, an interface member, and an actuator. By attaching the bracket to the chamber wall and securing the interface member to the lid assembly, the actuator may communicate with the bracket and the interface member to provide relative displacement between the chamber wall and the lid assembly. In this manner, the lid assembly may be positioned relative to the substrate to improve process uniformity across the substrate within the process chamber.

Methods and apparatuses for controlling the size of microbubbles are provided herein. The methods include forming a microbubble in a liquid at an inlet end of a liquid microchannel, the liquid microchannel having an outlet end spaced from the inlet end and a liquid microchannel conduit extending therebetween. As the liquid is propelled along a length of the liquid microchannel, the liquid carry the microbubble, a negative pressure is applied to a first very low pressure microchannel having a first end, a second end spaced from the first end and a first very low pressure microchannel conduit extending between the first end and the second end and having a portion thereof being laterally spaced from and adjacent to a portion of the liquid microchannel conduit. The negative pressure withdraws air from the microbubble in the liquid microchannel to shrink the microbubble as the microbubble travels along the portion of the liquid microchannel conduit.