JPH07138027A - Immersion apparatus for porous material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To safely and surely perform the immersion treatment of a porous material at a low cost without damaging the porous material. CONSTITUTION:A porous material 4 and a primary immersion solution 6 of an amount to immerse the whole porous material 4 are put into an outer vessel 5 and the porous material is immersed for an arbitrary period. The depth of the outer vessel 5 is larger than the height of the porous material 4. A liquid- discharging member 7 is inserted into the outer vessel 5. The primary immersion solution 6 is over-flowed through the gap between the liquid-discharging member 7 and the outer vessel 5. A secondary immersion solution 8 is poured into the vessel through a feeding port and, simultaneously with the pouring operation, the liquid discharging member 7 is pulled up from the immersion solution. The porous material 4 is immersed in the secondary immersion solution 8 without contacting with outer atmosphere by this process to complete the exchange of the solutions.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dipping device for immersing a porous body in a liquid in multiple stages, for example, for use in a method for producing glass via a porous body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a method of introducing a metal salt component into porous pores by immersing a porous glass body in a solution (JP-A-56-24307) or a sol-gel method A method of precipitating fine crystals of a metal salt in porous pores by immersing a porous gel containing a solution in which a metal salt is dissolved in a solvent in which the metal salt is poorly soluble (JP-A-3- No. 295818) is known. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-295818 discloses a technique for preventing cracks during drying by performing a drying process after immersing in a solvent having a low surface tension. Thus, various effects are obtained by changing the solvent system in the pores by sequentially immersing the porous body such as the porous glass body and the porous gel body in a plurality of solutions. .

Conventionally, as a method of submerging a porous body immersed in a solution in the next immersion solution, the jig is scooped out of the solution using a jig such as a basket or tweezers, and the next immersion solution is filled. The method of transferring to a container was common. Moreover, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-226832, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a method of leaching the porous body 4 using a container 3 having an inflow port 1 in the lower part and a discharge port 2 in the upper part is disclosed.

[0004]

However, in the above conventional technique, when a porous body (a porous glass body or a gel body produced by the sol-gel method) is soaked in multiple stages, the following problems occur in handling the porous body. It had the following problems.
First, when a strong force is applied when moving the porous body,
Since many porous materials are brittle, they are easily broken or damaged. Therefore, great care must be taken when moving the porous body. Conventionally, as a jig, tweezers or similar scissors, or a basket-like jig was used, but even with the utmost care using such a jig, the accident of porous body damage can be reduced. It was unavoidable.

Secondly, when the porous body is moved to the next solution, the porous body is once taken out of the solution and put in the next solution. Is filled with a solution such as alcohol, the solvent in the pores of the porous body expelled in the air during that period volatilizes rapidly, and the surface tension of the solution in the pores causes stress on the porous body. It tends to get cracked. In order to prevent such abrupt volatilization of the solvent, it is conceivable to keep the atmosphere above the treatment solution tank saturated with the solvent. However, such an atmosphere control is very difficult when performing the dipping treatment in multiple stages. It is both tedious and costly.

As described above, when the immersion treatment is carried out in multiple stages, damage to the porous body caused by holding and moving the porous body and cracks due to solvent volatilization during movement of the porous body are prevented. However, the complexity of atmosphere control has been a problem. As the porous body, phase separation heat treatment,
There are porous glass bodies produced by acid elution treatment and porous gel bodies produced by the sol-gel method, but in particular, porous gel bodies produced by the sol-gel method have a weak gel skeleton and are prone to cracks. Had a problem.

On the other hand, the solvent fed from the inflow port 1 is changed by applying an apparatus (see FIG. 7) as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-226832 without taking out the porous body from the solution. There is also a method of continuously changing the mixing ratio of the solvent, but with this method the solvent can only be changed gradually, and since the two kinds of solutions mix, it is necessary to completely move to the next solution. There is an inconvenience that a large amount of solvent is required and the cost becomes high.

The present invention has the above-mentioned conventional problems, namely, damage to the porous body due to retention and movement of the porous body in the step of successively immersing the porous body in at least two kinds of solutions, and the porous body. It was made in view of the problems such as the complexity of atmosphere control for controlling the atmosphere during movement, or the large amount of solvent consumption due to the method of continuously changing the solvent mixing ratio, and the damage to the porous body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a dipping device for a porous body which can be safely, reliably, and inexpensively dipped.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a dipping device used in a step of successively dipping a porous body in at least two kinds of liquids, An outer container capable of accommodating a porous body and deeper than the height of the porous body, a liquid discharge member movable up and down relatively to the outer container and insertable into the outer container, and a first body for immersing the porous body A supply port for supplying a second liquid for immersing the porous body next to the first liquid is provided. The invention according to claim 2 is, in an immersion device used in a step of successively immersing the porous body in at least two kinds of liquids, is capable of accommodating the porous body and is deeper than the height of the porous body. A container, a liquid discharge member located inside the outer container and capable of changing volume, and a supply port for supplying a second liquid for immersing the porous body next to the first liquid for immersing the porous body I decided.

That is, according to the invention of claim 1, in a dipping device used in a step of successively dipping a porous body in at least two kinds of liquids, the porous body can be housed and the height of the porous body can be changed. A deep outer container, a liquid discharge member that can move up and down relatively to the outer container and can be inserted into the outer container, and a first liquid that dips the porous body next to the first liquid that dips the porous body. When the porous body is placed in the outer container filled with the first liquid and the liquid discharge member is inserted into the outer container, the first liquid flows out of the outer container. Then, when the liquid discharge member is detached from the outer container, the second liquid is supplied from the supply port, and the porous body is successively and successively dipped in the first liquid and the second liquid.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, in a dipping device used in the step of successively dipping the porous body in at least two kinds of liquids, the porous body can be housed and the height of the porous body can be changed. A deep outer container, a liquid discharge member located in the outer container and capable of changing the volume, and a supply port for supplying a second liquid for immersing the porous body next to the first liquid for immersing the porous body And the porous body is placed in an outer container filled with the first liquid to increase the volume of the liquid discharging member, the first liquid is caused to flow out of the outer container, and the volume of the liquid discharging member is increased. In the case of decreasing, the second liquid was supplied from the supply port, and the porous body was successively and successively dipped in the first liquid and the second liquid.

In the present invention, the term "immersing in two kinds of solutions" means not only literally immersing in "two kinds of" solutions, but also "one kind of" solution is old. It also includes the case where the solution is replaced with a fresh solution.

Further, in the invention described in claim 1 or claim 2, a solution discharge supply valve may be provided in a part of the liquid discharge member. Furthermore, a solution outlet is provided in the outer container to
A discharge amount control means for controlling the discharge amount of the liquid may be provided. As described above, when the liquid discharge member provided with the solution discharge supply valve is used, when the liquid discharge member is inserted into the outer container or when the volume increases due to the volume change, the solution discharge supply valve opens to discharge the liquid. The first liquid may be taken in the member. When the liquid discharge member provided with the solution discharge supply valve is used, the second liquid is injected into the liquid discharge member when the liquid discharge member is inserted into the outer container or when the volume increases due to the volume change. Alternatively, the first liquid in the outer container has been injected and the first liquid in the outer container has flowed out of the outer container due to the insertion or increase in volume of the liquid discharging member. It may be configured to flow into the inside.

[0014]

The function of carrying out multi-step immersion using the immersion apparatus of the present invention will be described below. First, the operation when a device for vertically moving at least one of the liquid discharge member and the outer container is provided will be described below. The porous body 4 and the primary dipping solution (first liquid) 6 enough to immerse the entire porous body 4 in an outer container 5 having a cylindrical shape with a bottom as shown in FIG. Soak. The outer container 5 is formed deeper than the height of the porous body 4. After immersion for a desired time, as shown in FIG. 1B, the liquid discharge member 7 is inserted into the outer container 5 and immersed in the primary immersion solution 6. Here, the liquid discharge member 7 has a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the outer container 5, and a through hole 7a having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the porous body 4 is formed in the shaft center portion. . Therefore, by immersing the liquid draining member 7 in the primary dipping solution 6 so as to surround the porous body 4, the primary dipping solution 6 in the outer container 5 is separated from the liquid draining member 7 and the outer container 5. It overflows from the gap. FIG. 1C is a diagram showing a state where the discharge of the primary dipping solution 6 is completed by inserting the liquid discharge member 7 to the end (bottom surface of the outer container 5). If the primary dipping solution 6 is discharged by such a method, the surface water level of the primary dipping solution 6 will be the outer container 5
Since it does not go below the upper end of the porous body 4, the porous body 4 can be immersed in the primary immersion solution 6 without exposing its surface. At this time, in the outer container 5, some primary dipping solution 6 is present in each of the gaps between the porous body 4, the liquid discharge member 7 and the outer container 5.
As shown in (d), the secondary immersion solution (second liquid) 8 is injected from the supply port, and at the same time, the liquid discharge member 7 is pulled up to remove it from the immersion solution. It is in a state of being immersed in the secondary immersion solution 8 without touching. As described above, the solution exchange to the secondary immersion solution 8 is completed (FIG. 1 (e)).

Similarly, when the immersion solution is exchanged a plurality of times, the liquid discharge member 7 is inserted into the outer container 5 containing the (N-1) -th subsequent immersion solution to discharge the (N-1) -th subsequent immersion solution. After doing
By repeating the operation of injecting the Nth-order immersion solution and pulling up and removing the liquid discharge member 7, the solution can be exchanged up to the Nth-order immersion solution (N is a natural number of 2 or more).

Next, a description will be given of the operation of multi-step immersion using the immersion apparatus of the present invention having a variable volume liquid discharge member. The air or liquid in the liquid discharging member is compressed and put in the outer container together with the immersion solution and the porous body, and the air or the Nth immersion solution or other solution is gradually fed into the liquid discharging member. As a result, the liquid discharge member swells and acquires a sufficient volume to expel the (N-1) th submersion solution. Since the liquid discharge member inflated in this way easily fits the shape of the porous body, the residual amount of the (N-1) th-order immersion solution between the porous body and the liquid discharge member and the outer container should be minimized. You can Further, even if fitted, since the inside of the liquid discharge member is a fluid, an unreasonable force is not locally applied, and there is an effect that it is difficult to damage the porous body. After inflating the liquid discharging member and discharging the (N-1) th immersion solution, simultaneously supplying the Nth immersion solution to the outer container and discharging the air or the solution in the liquid discharging member of the liquid discharging member. This completes the exchange of the immersion solution.

As the variable volume liquid discharging member, various shapes such as a bag-shaped member that does not leak when air or a solution is fed, a bellows-shaped member, and the like can be considered. It is also possible to use an organic polymer porous body having a large swelling rate when absorbing a liquid. As a method of discharging the immersion solution in the outer container, it is necessary to keep the liquid level of the immersion solution below the uppermost surface of the porous body. The depth may be deeper than the height of the porous body, and more preferably, the outer container may be provided with at least one liquid passage opening to the outside of the outer container. If the height of the liquid passage port is set higher than the height of the porous body at the time of immersion, the immersion liquid level will not be lower than the height. Further, by providing a plurality of liquid passage ports side by side in the height direction and opening and closing the plurality of liquid passage ports, it is possible to apply to various water levels. Furthermore, if a method is used to control the liquid level of the immersion solution so as not to fall below the upper surface of the porous body by using a float switch or another water level sensor, the liquid level can be set arbitrarily.

The liquid discharging member may be dense or hollow inside, and when the liquid discharging member is hollow, an openable / closable solution leading from the hollow portion of the liquid discharging member to the outer container. If a discharge supply valve is provided, it works effectively as follows. FIG. 2 shows an example of an apparatus in which a hollow liquid discharge member has a solution discharge supply valve that communicates from its hollow portion to an outer container. The outer container 5 as shown in FIG.
Then, the porous body 4 and the primary dipping solution 6 to the extent that the entire porous body 4 is dipped are put therein, and after dipping for an arbitrary time, a hollow liquid discharge member 7 is inserted as shown in FIG. 2 (b). Then, by immersing in the primary dipping solution 6, the primary dipping solution 6 in the outer container 5 moves to the hollow portion of the liquid discharge member 7 through the solution discharge supply valve 9 at the bottom of the liquid discharge member 7. FIG. 2C is a diagram showing a state in which the movement / discharge of the primary immersion solution 6 in the liquid discharge member 7 is completed by inserting the liquid discharge member 7 to the end. Next, as shown in FIG. 2D, the solution discharge supply valve 9 is closed to remove the liquid discharge member 7, and at the same time, the secondary dipping solution 8 is injected into the outer container 5 from the supply port. As a result, the porous body 4 is in a state of being immersed in the secondary immersion solution 8 without touching the outside air. 2 as above
The solution exchange to the next immersion solution 8 is completed (FIG. 2 (e)).

As described above, the operation of the device in which the hollow liquid discharge member 7 has the solution discharge supply valve 9 communicating from the hollow portion to the outer container 5 is as described above, that is, the liquid discharge member 7 is connected to the outer container 5. When inserted into the inside, the first liquid flows into the liquid discharge member 7 through the solution discharge supply valve 9, and as a result, the first liquid in the outer container 5 is discharged. In addition, as another function, the second liquid is introduced into the liquid discharge member 7 in advance, and after the first liquid in the outer container 5 is discharged, the second liquid in the liquid discharge member 7 is dissolved. It also has a function of supplying the liquid to the outer container 5 through the discharge supply valve 9, and since it has such a function, when the liquid discharge member 7 is inserted into the outer container 5, the first liquid is discharged to the outside of the outer container 5. The effect of the present invention can also be obtained by adopting a method of discharging and then pulling up the liquid discharge member 7 while supplying the second liquid to the outer container 5 through the solution discharge supply valve 9.

Further, when the maximum total volume of the liquid discharge member in the outer container is ½ or more of the volume of the immersion liquid in which the porous body is immersed, the (N-1) th immersion liquid is expelled. Since the (N-1) th order immersion solution existing in the gap between the porous body, the liquid discharge member and the outer container is relatively small in efficiency and the (N-1) th order immersion solution is expelled efficiently, It is effective.

In order to further reduce the influence of a small amount of the (N-1) th order immersion solution existing in the gaps between the porous body, the liquid discharging member and the outer container, the following washing is performed during the solvent exchange step. A method of providing steps is effective. What is a cleaning process?
After discharging an appropriate amount of the (N-1) th immersion solution, by injecting an appropriate amount of the Nth immersion solution and operating the liquid discharge member, the (N-1) th immersion solution and the Nth immersion solution are mixed, (N-1) After reducing the ratio of the next immersion solution, the liquid discharging member is operated again to discharge the mixed solution. By this operation, the residual ratio of the (N-1) th order immersion solution becomes several 1.

[0022]

[Equation 1]

By repeating this operation X times, the residual rate decreases with the Xth power, so that the influence of the amount of the (N-1) th order immersion solution can be reduced.

In order to prevent the liquid discharging member from being damaged even when the liquid discharging member comes into contact with the porous member by moving it up and down, the porous member side of the liquid discharging member is chamfered. It is also effective to provide the liquid discharging member with an elastic layer capable of absorbing shock. As the elastic layer, a fluid layer containing gas or liquid may be provided between the liquid discharge member and the porous body, or an organic polymer porous body material that swells by containing the liquid may be used. It is possible.

In order to prevent accidents due to contact between the liquid discharge member and the porous body, it is effective to provide a guide for preventing the porous body from moving on the side of the outer container so that the porous body is not displaced from its fixed position. Is the way. This movement prevention guide may be installed so as to surround the porous body with a coarse mesh so that the immersion liquid can easily pass through, or several thin cylindrical rods may be set around the porous body, Various guide methods are conceivable, such as using a ring-shaped one, and it is desirable to use an appropriate method depending on the shape of the porous body and the number of porous bodies to be treated at one time. The same effect can be obtained when the liquid discharge member is divided into a plurality of parts.

By using the dipping device shown above, the porous body is not damaged when the dipping liquid is replaced. In particular, a porous gel body produced by the sol-gel method has often been damaged in the past due to its weak gel skeleton, but the use of the dipping device of the present invention greatly reduces the damage rate. The amount of immersion liquid consumed is also shown in FIG.
Since it requires significantly less amount as compared with the case of using the conventional dipping device of this type, the cost is reduced.

[0027]

[Embodiment 1] FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus of this embodiment. The outer container 5 for accommodating the porous body 4 has a solution discharge port 11 having a valve 10 and a float switch 13 for controlling the liquid level by controlling a drive device 12 for vertically moving the liquid discharge member 7. Is provided.
The float switch 13 automatically opens the valve 10 when the liquid level rises above a certain amount, and closes the valve 10 when the liquid level is below a certain amount, so that the immersion liquid in the outer container 5 is closed. Can be discharged. Further, the float switch 13 can control the speed at which the liquid discharge member 7 is raised by acting on the drive device 12 when the liquid level rises above a certain amount when the Nth immersion solution is injected. It has become.

The Nth immersion solution 14 is supplied from an upper container 16 equipped with a valve 15. A stirring device 17 is provided below the porous body 4 in order to keep various conditions such as the concentration and temperature of the entire immersion solution in the outer container 5 uniform. 1
8 is a motor. It is preferable that the liquid discharge member 7 has a size that is in close contact with the outer container 5 as much as possible within a range where it can move up and down in the outer container 5. A drive device 12 is connected to the liquid discharge member 7 so that the liquid discharge member 7 can be moved up and down. If the porous body 4 moves below the liquid discharge member 7, it will be crushed by the liquid discharge member 7 when the liquid discharge member 7 is lowered. Therefore, in order to prevent the porous body 7 from moving. A guide 19 that surrounds the porous body 7 is provided. For this reason, the diameter of the through hole 7 a of the liquid discharge member 7 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the guide 19.

The procedure for carrying out multi-step immersion using the immersion apparatus having the above-mentioned structure will be described below. The (N-1) next immersion solution 20 is poured into the outer container 5, and then the porous body 4 is put into this immersion solution 20. After submergence for an appropriate time (N-1), the liquid discharging member 7 is gradually lowered into the dipping solution 20. As a result, the liquid level of the immersion solution 20 rises due to the volume of the liquid discharge member 7, the float switch 13 is actuated, the valve 10 is opened, and the (N−1) th next immersion solution 20 is discharged from the solution discharge port 11. To be done. Since the float switch 13 is set in advance so that the porous body 4 does not come out above the liquid surface according to the height of the porous body 4, the (N-1) th immersion solution 20
Is finished when the immersion liquid surface is located above the porous body 4. Next, the valve 15 of the upper container 16 is opened, and N is put into the outer container 5 through the through hole 7a of the liquid discharge member 7.
The next immersion solution 14 is injected. By the operation of the float switch 13 associated with the injection of the Nth-order immersion solution 14, the liquid discharge member 7 is gradually raised to complete the replacement of the immersion solution of the porous body 4 with the Nth-order immersion solution 14. .

In all of the above steps, the immersion solution can be exchanged without moving the porous body 4 or exposing the porous body 4 to the air, so that the porous body 4 may break during the operation. There is nothing to do. That is, the dipping device of the present example was able to safely and reliably perform the treatment at low cost without damaging the porous body 4 during the dipping treatment.

[0031]

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus of this embodiment. 4, parts that are the same as the parts shown in FIG. 3 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. Although not shown, a stirring device is also provided in this embodiment to keep the entire immersion liquid in the outer container 5 uniform. The present embodiment is characterized in that the volume of the liquid discharge member 21 is variable. The liquid discharge member 21 has a thickness of 0.15.
It is made of Teflon and has at least one injection port 22 through which air can be sent, and a pump 23 connected to this injection port 22 can send and suck air, and can be inflated or contracted to create a volume. Are configured to change.

The procedure for carrying out multi-step immersion using the immersion apparatus having the above-mentioned structure will be described below. The (N-1) next immersion solution 20 is poured into the outer container 5, and then the porous body 4 is placed in this immersion solution 20. After submergence for an appropriate time (N-1), air is sent to the liquid discharge member 21 to gradually inflate the bag. As a result, the surface of the immersion solution rises, the float switch 13 operates, the valve 10 is opened, and the (N-1) next immersion solution 2
0 is discharged from the solution discharge port 11. Similar to the first embodiment, the float switch 13 is set in advance so that the porous body 4 does not rise above the liquid surface depending on the height of the porous body 4, so that (N-1 ) The discharge of the next immersion solution 20 ends when the immersion liquid surface is located above the porous body 4. Next, the valve 15 of the upper container 16 is opened to inject the Nth order immersion solution 14 into the outer container 5. When the injection of the Nth immersion solution 14 is completed, the air in the liquid discharge member 21 is simultaneously evacuated. Liquid discharge member 2 after bleeding air here
1 may be taken out from the Nth-order immersion solution 14 or may be put in the solution without being taken out without any problem. This completes the replacement of the immersion solution of the porous body with the Nth order immersion solution 14.

In all of the above steps, the immersion solution can be exchanged without moving the porous body 4 and without exposing the porous body 4 to the air, so that the porous body 4 may break during the operation. There is nothing to do. Further, the degree of contact between the porous body 4 and the liquid discharge member 21 can be adjusted depending on how air is introduced, and compared with the liquid discharge member 7 used in Example 1, the porous body 4 can be closely attached. Since it can be carried out, the carry-over amount of the (N-1) next immersion solution 20 can be reduced, and efficient solution exchange becomes possible.
That is, also in the apparatus of this example, as in Example 1, the porous body 4 could be safely and reliably processed at low cost without damaging the porous body 4 during the immersion process.

[0034]

[Embodiment 3] FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus of the present embodiment. 5, parts that are the same as the parts shown in FIG. 3 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. This embodiment is characterized in that the (N-1) th order immersion solution 20 is expelled by using the liquid discharge member 7 into which the Nth order immersion solution 14 is injected. The bottom surface of the liquid discharge member 7 is provided with an openable and closable solution discharge supply valve 9 for discharging the Nth order immersion solution 14 introduced into the liquid discharge member 7 and transferring it into the outer container 5. . The Nth dipping solution 14 is injected into the liquid discharging member 7 with the solution discharging supply valve 9 closed, and the liquid discharging member 7
Is discharged to discharge the (N-1) next immersion solution 20 in the same manner as in Example 1, the solution discharge supply valve 9 is opened, and the liquid discharge member 7 is slowly pulled up with the solution discharge supply valve 9 opened.
Since the Nth order immersion solution 14 in the liquid discharging member 7 moves into the outer container 5, the replacement of the immersion solution is completed when the lifting of the liquid discharging member 7 is completed.

In all the above steps, the immersion solution can be exchanged without moving the porous body 4 and without exposing the porous body 4 to the air, so that the porous body 4 is broken during the treatment operation. There is no longer any. That is, also in the apparatus of this example, the porous body 4 could be safely and reliably processed at low cost without being damaged in the immersion process.

[0036]

[Embodiment 4] FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus of this embodiment. 6, the same parts as those in FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The outer container 5 that houses the porous body 4 is provided with the solution discharge port 24 at a position higher than the height of the upper surface of the housed porous body 4, and although not shown in the drawing, the immersion in the outer container 5 is omitted. A stirrer is provided to keep the whole liquid uniform. In this embodiment, the Nth order immersion solution 14 is injected into the volume variable liquid discharge member 21 (N-
1) It is characterized in that the next immersion solution 20 is expelled. A solution discharge supply valve 25 that can be opened and closed is formed to discharge the liquid in the liquid discharge member 21 into the outer container 5, and the Nth order immersion is performed so that the Nth order immersion solution 14 can be sent to the liquid discharge member 21. The pump 26 is interposed between the container 23 for supplying the solution 14 and the liquid discharging member 21, and the immersion liquid is exchanged by the liquid discharging member 21 having a variable volume. That is, the pump 26 is used to send the Nth order immersion solution 14 into the liquid discharging member 21 to inflate the liquid discharging member 21, and in the same manner as the second embodiment, the solution discharging port 24 (N
-1) After discharging the next dipping solution 20, the solution discharge supply valve 25 of the liquid discharge member 21 is opened, and the liquid discharge member 21 is slowly pulled up in the opened state, whereby the Nth order in the liquid discharge member 21 is discharged. The immersion solution 14 is moved into the outer container 5. As a result, when the lifting of the liquid discharge member 21 is completed, the exchange of the immersion solution is also completed.

In all of the above steps, the immersion solution can be exchanged without moving the porous body 4 and without exposing the porous body 4 to the air, so that the porous body 4 is cracked during the treatment operation. There is no longer any. In other words, the apparatus of the present embodiment was also able to perform the treatment safely, reliably and at low cost without damaging the porous body 4 during the dipping treatment.

In the method described above, the immersion solution is discharged as the liquid discharging member 7 moves up and down or the volume of the liquid discharging member 21 changes. However, excellent effects are obtained when these methods are used in combination. Needless to say,

[0039]

As described above, according to the apparatus for immersing a porous body of the present invention, in a method for producing a functional glass or the like via a porous body, a solution for performing the dipping treatment in multiple stages. The damage to the porous body due to the replacement can be minimized, and the porous body can be safely and reliably processed at low cost in the dipping treatment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a process diagram showing an immersion treatment process using an immersion device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a process drawing showing a dipping treatment process using another dipping device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an immersion device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an immersion device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an immersion device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an immersion device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view showing a conventional dipping device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Porous Body 5 Outer Container 6 Primary Immersion Solution 7,21 Liquid Discharge Member 8 Secondary Immersion Solution 9,25 Solution Discharge Supply Valve 11,24 Solution Discharge Port 14 Nth Immersion Solution 19 Guide 20 (N-1) Next Immersion solution

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A dipping device used in a step of successively dipping a porous body in at least two kinds of liquids,
An outer container capable of accommodating a porous body and deeper than the height of the porous body, a liquid discharge member that can be moved up and down relative to the outer container and can be inserted into the outer container, and the porous body is immersed. A first liquid and a supply port for supplying a second liquid into which the porous body is immersed, and the porous body is placed in an outer container filled with the first liquid, and the liquid discharge member is used as the outer container. When inserted, the first liquid is caused to flow out of the outer container, and when the liquid discharge member is detached from the outer container, the second liquid is supplied from the supply port, and the porous body is separated into the first liquid and the second liquid. A device for immersing a porous body that is successively immersed in a liquid. 2. A dipping device used in a step of successively dipping a porous body in at least two kinds of liquids,
An outer container capable of accommodating a porous body and deeper than the height of the porous body, and a liquid discharging member located in the outer container and capable of changing volume,
A first liquid for immersing the porous body, and a supply port for supplying a second liquid for immersing the porous body next, and the porous body is placed in an outer container filled with the first liquid. When the volume of the discharge member is increased, the first liquid is caused to flow out of the outer container, and when the volume of the liquid discharge member is decreased, the second liquid is supplied from the supply port to set the porous body to the first position. An apparatus for immersing a porous body which is successively and successively dipped in the first liquid and the second liquid.