Solution blowing of thermoplastic polyurethane nanofibers: A facile method to produce flexible porous materials

Abstract

Solution blowing (SB) is a promising and scalable approach for the production of nanofibers. Air pressure, solution flowrate, and nozzle-collector distance were determined as effective process parameters, while solution concentration was also reported as a material parameter. Here we performed a parametric study on thermoplastic polyurethane/dimethyl formamide (TPU/DMF) solutions to examine the effect of such parameters on the resultant properties such as fiber diameter, diameter distribution, porosity, and air permeability of the nanofibrous webs. The obtained solution blown thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofibers had average diameter down to 170 6 112 nm, which is similar to that observed in electrospinning. However, the production rate per nozzle can be 20 times larger, which is primarily dependent on air pressure and solution flow rate (20 mL/h). Moreover, it was even possible to produce nanofibers polymer concentrations of 20%; however, this increased the average nanofiber diameter. The fibers produced from the TPU/DMF solutions at concentrations of 20% and 10% had average diameters of 671 6 136 nm and 170 6 112 nm, respectively. SB can potentially be used for the industrial-scale production of products such as nanofibrous filters, protective textiles, scaffolds, wound dressings, and battery components.

A Review of the Fundamental Principles and Applications of Solution Blow Spinning

“…1,2 SBS also has the ability to deposit conformal fibers onto both planar and nonplanar substrates with a deposition rate that is approximately 10 times faster than conventional electrospinning. 2–4 The unique attributes of SBS provide a means to explore the utility of nonwoven fibrous materials in new fields. Such materials have been investigated for use in a wide variety of applications including electronics, filtration, and tissue engineering.…”

Antibakteriyel Nanolif Yapılarının Çözeltiden Üfleme Sistemi ile Üretimi ve Karakterizasyonu

“…Sistem, şırınga pompası, basınçlı hava regülatörü, düze ve toplayıcı yüzeyden oluşmaktadır. Polat vd'nin [20] elde ettiği optimum değerler baz alınarak, şırınga pompasından 10 ml/h hızla beslenen polimer çözeltisi; 3 bar değerindeki basınçlı hava ile bir düzede bir araya geldikten sonra 30 cm uzaklıkta bulunan toplayıcı yüzeyde lif formunda biriktirilmiştir. …”

“…Yenilikçi çalış-malardan biri de çözeltiden üfleme (solution blowing) yönte-midir. Bu yöntemde, elektriksel kuvvetlerin yerini sıkıştırılmış hava/gaz almıştır [20] ve üretim hızı elektroüretime göre 30 kat daha fazla olduğu gösterilmiştir [20]. Çözeltiden üfleme sisteminde, düze vasıtasıyla iç kanaldan polimer çözeltisi, dış kanaldan ise basınçlı hava beslenmektedir.…”

Microchip-based 3D-cell culture using polymer nanofibers generated by solution blow spinning

“…Another technique termed solution blown spinning has recently emerged as way to generate fibers without the use of high voltage. 23, 24 In this approach, a high velocity sheath gas is used to apply a focusing force to a pumped polymer solution, resulting in polymer stream that can subsequently expand into fine fibers that can be collected onto a non-grounded substrate. 23, 24 Medeiros and colleagues described how the cone and fibers are formed through a gas flow focus during solution blow spining.…”

“…23, 24 In this approach, a high velocity sheath gas is used to apply a focusing force to a pumped polymer solution, resulting in polymer stream that can subsequently expand into fine fibers that can be collected onto a non-grounded substrate. 23, 24 Medeiros and colleagues described how the cone and fibers are formed through a gas flow focus during solution blow spining. 23 Fiber generation from several polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) via solution blow spinning has also been investigated.…”