Electrospun nanofibers from a multihole spinneret with uniform electric field

Abstract

This study presents a multihole spinneret with a metal flat electrode to obtain uniform electric field and meet a high production requirement. We demonstrate that the multihole spinneret produces finer fiber diameters and more concentrated fiber mat compared to the conventional multineedle electrospinnig system. This study focuses on the effect of the electric field distribution on the spinning process and the resultant nanofibers. The three-dimensional electric field simulation results show that the multihole spinneret creates not only a more uniform electric field, but also a stronger electric field except for the area very close to the spinneret. The measurement of the electric field verifies the simulation results. This study shows that fine fibers, as well as concentrated and thick fiber mat can be obtained by this multihole electrospinning system at a high production rate.

Recent Advances in Needleless Electrospinning of Ultrathin Fibers: From Academia to Industrial Production

“…E‐spinning from flat electrode with holes was first reported by Zhou et al in 2009 . Up to now, spinnerets with 1, 3, 4, and 7 holes have been studied. Figure a shows the schematic of multihole experimental setup.…”

“…Not all the stationary spinnerets are suitable for the upward e‐spinning. The spinnerets like flat electrode with holes, tube with linear holes, and conical wire coil, always take the form of downward e‐spinning with the fiber collector right below the spinnerets. Figure lists the stationary spinnerets for downward e‐spinning.…”

“…However, the significance of multihole e‐spinning study is that the electric field can be kept uniform when the number of holes increased, which is different from the complex electric field of the multineedle e‐spinning . For example, Zheng et al made a comparison between 7‐hole spinneret and 7‐needle spinneret . Experimental results showed that 7‐hole e‐spinning system obtains lower jet divergence degree and smaller jet whipping amplitude than those in the 7‐needle system (Figure c,d), which results in more concentrated and smaller fiber mats on the collector.…”

“…Copyright 2009, Springer; b) spinnerets with 1, 3, 4, and 7 holes, respectively; Photographs taken at long exposure times (33.33 ms) of the e‐spinning processes of c) 7‐needle system and d) 7‐hole system. Reproduced with permission . Copyright 2013.…”

A method for scale‐up of co‐electrospun nanofibers via flat core‐shell structure spinneret

“…Moreover, the confined feeding method can produce fibers of special structures, such as core‐shell fibers. Our previous work developed a multihole system with a flat spinneret to scale up the productivity of electrospun nanofibers. We found that this multihole system created a more uniform electric field than the conventional multineedle system.…”