The Significance of Electrical Polarity in Electrospinning: A Nanoscale Approach for the Enhancement of the Polymer Fibers' Properties

Abstract

Thanks to its versatility, electrospinning is a method often used to produce polymer fibers for bioengineering, water, and energy harvesting applications. The change of a single process parameter in electrospinning provides a tremendous opportunity to modify the properties of the materials produced without any additional post‐treatment. One of these is the voltage and electrical polarity applied to the nozzle. The alternating polarity, between positive and negative, causes a change in the types of charges accumulated on the polymer jet. Consequently, the produced fibers show different molecule configurations on the surface, resulting in changes in surface chemistry while tailoring their properties to fit various application needs. This review explains polymer chain reorientation phenomena caused by electrical polarity in electrospinning. Furthermore, the electrical polarity effect on the surface and the mechanical properties of electrospun fibers, and the methods to investigate it is demonstrated. Finally, this review illustrates the significance of electrical polarity in electrospinning as a nanoscale approach to enhance fiber surface properties and their applicability.

Influence of Electrospinning Setup Parameters on Properties of Polymer-Perovskite Nanofibers

“…Under the influence of the electrical field between the needle and the collector, ions can effectively migrate to the surface of the jet ( Figure 4 c). Ion accumulation on the surface of the solution jet stimulates the formation of perovskite nuclei near the surface that are unrestricted by polymer chains and grow larger than formed nuclei that are restricted within polymer chains [ 20 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. Figure S2 shows the XRD results of produced nanofibers utilizing planar and rotary collectors.…”

Mimicking natural electrical environment with cellulose acetate scaffolds enhances collagen formation of osteoblasts

“…2b) measured with KPFM of CA fibers was, at an average 718 ± 4 mV indicating an effect of applied charges during electrospinning. 64 Surface properties over a larger area were verified with the streaming zeta potential measurements. In Fig.…”

Electrospun fibers as carriers for topical drug delivery and release in skin bandages and patches for atopic dermatitis treatment

“…The surface chemistry of fibers can be changed by applying a positive or negative voltage polarity (Stachewicz et al, 2012;. Voltage polarity plays an important role in the dynamics of the electrospinning process (Ura & Stachewicz, 2022). Also, as the voltage increases, the fibers formed have smaller diameters (Zanto et al, 2011).…”