Understanding the effect of conductivity in electrospinning solutions is crucial in order to improve or control the electrospinning process. In this paper the effect of adding small amounts (0.039–0.259 mol · kg−1) of three different conductive additives to aqueous solutions of polyvinyl alcohol has been investigated. The salts were HMICl (a room temperature ionic liquid), TEBAC (a quaternary ammonium salt) and KCl. Addition of these salts caused a steady increase in the solution conductivity but the fiber diameter was typically greater than that of PVA alone, and exhibited an oscillatory trend. The oscillatory trend on the fiber diameter is attributed to fiber backbuilding and fusion that occurs prior to deposition on the collector.magnified image

Improving the conductivity of electrospinning solutions is often achieved by adding small amounts of conductive additives. HMIMCl, a room temperature ionic liquid, and TEBAC, a quaternary ammonium salt, were added to polylactic acid in chloroform and their effects on solution properties, electrospinning, and fiber properties were investigated. Both additives increased the conductivity which decreased the fiber diameter, but differences were observed on the fiber dispersity and fiber morphology. The conductive solutions caused fiber backbuilding with aggregation and fiber fusion. Reasons for the differences in fiber diameter and fiber morphology are discussed.magnified image