Electrospinning

Taylor cone formation and the main forces acting on the solution, adapted from [1][2].

Scanning electron microscopy image of electrospun polycaprolactone fibers.
Photograph of a meniscus of polyvinyl alcohol in aqueous solution showing a fibre being electrospun from a Taylor cone.

Electrospinning is a fiber production method that uses electrical force (based on Electrohydrodynamic[1] principals) to draw charged threads of polymer solutions for producing nanofibers with diameters ranging from nanometers to micrometers. Electrospinning shares characteristics of both electrospraying and conventional solution dry spinning of fibers.[1][3] The process does not require the use of coagulation chemistry or high temperatures to produce solid threads from solution. This makes the process particularly suited to the production of fibers using large and complex molecules. Electrospinning from molten precursors is also practiced; this method ensures that no solvent can be carried over into the final product.

  1. ^ a b c Iranshahi, Kamran; Defraeye, Thijs; Rossi, Rene M. "Electrohydrodynamics and its applications: Recent advances and future perspectives". International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2024.125895. hdl:20.500.11850/683872.
  2. ^ Iranshahi, Kamran; Schoeller, Jean; Luisier, Nicolas; Chung, Michael; Hashemizadeh, Sina; Fortunato, Giuseppino; Defraeye, Thijs; Rossi, René M. (11 March 2022). "Improving Needleless Electrospinning Throughput by Tailoring Polyurethane Solution Properties with Polysiloxane Additives". ACS Applied Polymer Materials. 4 (3): 2205–2215. doi:10.1021/acsapm.2c00263. ISSN 2637-6105.
  3. ^ Ziabicki, A. (1976) Fundamentals of fiber formation, John Wiley and Sons, London, ISBN 0-471-98220-2.