Measurement and Modeling of the Nanofiber Surface Potential during Electrospinning on a Patterned Collector: Toward Directed 3D Microstructuration

Abstract

Electrospinning allows the fabrication of microstructured mats when the nanofiber is deposited on a patterned collector made of regularly distributed protuberances. Such directed self‐assembling strategy results from the building of an electrostatic template induced by the charged deposited fiber strands suspended between the protuberances which in turn induces a field of attractive and repulsive forces that guide the deposition of the fiber during its landing. However, after a certain time of electrospinning, the microstructuration of the mat is generally subjected to modification and is eventually lost. Here, it is shown that the measurement of the surface potential above the deposited nanofibers is a powerful tool to track the evolution of the fibrous microstructuration during the fabrication. First, the electrospinning above a single and adjustable gap is deeply investigated and a model is proposed to explain the surface potential kinetics as a function of the gap size and the processed polymer solution. Then, the surface potential kinetics are correlated with the evolution of the 3D microstructuration in the case of electrospinning on a micropatterned collector. This original strategy paves the way for the controlled fabrication of 3D microstructured mats dedicated to a wide range of applications.

Novel Biomaterials for Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration

“…The core–shell structure may be effective in preventing the burst release of drugs, which will be beneficial for conducting the next step of drug-measured release studies. − Besides, covalent polymer grafting, plasma treatment, and ionized jet deposition techniques can be used for drug loading to achieve controlled drug release. , The structure of nanofibers prepared by electrostatic spinning is also inextricably linked to the collector. The commonly used collectors include flat collectors, drum collectors, angle collectors, pattern collectors, etc. The way of placing the collector is also classified as fixed placement, rotating placement, and so on.…”

“… 60 , 61 The structure of nanofibers prepared by electrostatic spinning is also inextricably linked to the collector. The commonly used collectors include flat collectors, 33 drum collectors, 54 angle collectors, 62 pattern collectors, 63 etc. The way of placing the collector is also classified as fixed placement, 62 rotating placement, 54 and so on.…”

A Review on Electrospinning as Versatile Supports for Diverse Nanofibers and Their Applications in Environmental Sensing

“…i Square-patterned fibers; reproduced with permission from ref. [ 24 ], Copyright 2021, Wiley. j Honeycomb-patterned fibers; reproduced with permission from ref.…”

“…Patterned Electrospinning: Patterned electrospun nanofibers can be produced using appropriate solutions and a special collecting device. Liang et al [ 24 ] prepared an oriented square microfiber mat using an electrostatic template for nanofibers deposition on a pattern collector made of regularly distributed protrusions. Gangolphe et al [ 23 ] developed honeycomb electrospun scaffolds and successfully applied them to prepare honeycomb fibrous membranes with appropriate macropore size and fiber arrangement.…”

2D and 3D Electrospinning of Nanofibrous Structures by Far-Field Jet Writing

“…Electrospinning is a versatile method for producing micro- and nano-scale fibrous structures. − During electrospinning, a jet is generated from a polymer droplet and is stretched and elongated by the electric field to produce fibers . However, electrospinning typically disposes nanofibers on a flat collector randomly due to the inherent whipping instability of the charged polymer jet.…”