High-throughput and high-yield fabrication of uniaxially-aligned chitosan-based nanofibers by centrifugal electrospinning

Abstract

The inability to produce large quantities of nanofibers has been a primary obstacle in advancement and commercialization of electrospinning technologies, especially when aligned nanofibers are desired. Here, we present a high-throughput centrifugal electrospinning (HTP-CES) system capable of producing a large number of highly-aligned nanofiber samples with high-yield and tunable diameters. The versatility of the design was revealed when bead-less nanofibers were produced from copolymer chitosan/polycaprolactone (C-PCL) solutions despite variations in polymer blend composition or spinneret needle gauge. Compared to conventional electrospinning techniques, fibers spun with the HTP-CES not only exhibited superior alignment, but also better diameter uniformity. Nanofiber alignment was quantified using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis. In addition, a concave correlation between the needle diameter and resultant fiber diameter was identified. This system can be easily scaled up for industrial production of highly-aligned nanofibers with tunable diameters that can potentially meet the requirements for various engineering and biomedical applications.

Electrospun pH-sensitive core–shell polymer nanocomposites fabricated using a tri-axial process

“…To this end, core-shell 74 nanostructures have been very widely studied in the production of functional 75 nanomaterials, including those for biomedical applications [4][5][6]. [19][20][21][22]. The intense research effort invested in these materials thus appears 102 to be about to yield products which can make a major difference to patients' lives.…”

Preparation and Characterization of Highly Aligned Carbon Nanotubes/Polyacrylonitrile Composite Nanofibers

“…Some techniques have been proposed to obtain aligned nanofibers [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Previously, we presented a modified parallel electrode method (MPEM) by placing a positively charged ring between Some techniques have been proposed to obtain aligned nanofibers [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23].…”

“…Previously, we presented a modified parallel electrode method (MPEM) by placing a positively charged ring between Some techniques have been proposed to obtain aligned nanofibers [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Previously, we presented a modified parallel electrode method (MPEM) by placing a positively charged ring between the needle and the parallel electrode collector to fabricate highly aligned electrospun nanofibers for a long spinning time [24].…”

Multi-compartment centrifugal electrospinning based composite fibers

“…Co-axial electrospinning (CO-ES), centrifugal electrospinning (CES), fiber printing (2D and 3D) rotary jet-spinning are notable advances within this remit [12][13][14]. These developments have enabled multi-phase fiber composites and compartmentalization [15], ordered filamentous structures [16], Janus fiber systems [17] and high production rates [18]. It is noteworthy, technological advance is often driven by the underlying need or property requirement of an end application; and electrospinning (ES), and its various sister processes (i.e.…”