Ultra-Fine Fibers Produced by Laser-Electrospinning

Thermoplastic Polyurethane Ultrafine Fiber Web Fabricated by Laser Electrospinning

“…Recently, electrospinning has been actively investigated [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Electrospinning produces very fine fibers with submicron or nanometer-order diameters and it can be used to produce fibers from polymer solutions or molten polymers.…”

“…On the melt-electrospinning processes, laserheated electrospinning (LES), which uses CO2 laser irradiation to heat molten fibers, is excellent for producing thin, uniform fibers since it suppresses thermal degradation of fibers. This is because the fiber is drawn rapidly by electrostatic force while rapid, uniform heating is simultaneously applied [10][11][12][13]. We have applied LES to various polymers, and obtained uniform, ultrafine nylon 6 and poly (L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) fibers having average diameters of about 1 μm and with a coefficient of variation (CV) of less than 20% [13].…”

Effects of Laser Beam Width on the Diameter and Molecular Weight of Laser‐Electrospun Polylactide Fiber

“…Ogata et al revealed that the diameter of electrospun poly(L-lactide) fiber of less than 1 µm was achieved, while the fiber molecular weight decreased exponentially with an increase in the laser power [5]. We have also carried out LES using various polymers, and investigated the dependence of LES conditions (applied voltage, laser power, and laser beam width) on the fiber diameter [10][11][12][13]. In particular, when the laser beam width is thinner, suppression of thermal degradation and stabilization of elongational deformation is expected because the heating duration becomes shorter.…”

The Effect of Applied Voltage and Laser Power on the Molecular Orientation of Laser-Electrospun Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Fibers

“…However, most studies on electrospinning focus on electrospinning from polymer solution, which has the disadvantage that it requires a solvent, increasing both the production cost and the burden on the environment. In recent years, to overcome this disadvantage, so-called "melt electrospinning" has been studied [3][4][5][6][7]. Laser-electrospinning is one melt electrospinning method that involves heating the fiber material rapidly by laser irradiation.…”

“…( [4][5][6][7] . Ultra-fine poly ( ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers with a diameter of 1.7 µm have been produced [6].…”