High performance electrospinning system for fabricating highly uniform polymer nanofibers

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Electrospinning is a versatile technique for fabricating polymer nanofibers.
• Achieving high uniformity in electrospun nanofibers is crucial for many applications.
• Controlling electrospinning parameters is key to consistent nanofiber production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high-performance electrospinning system for producing highly uniform polymer nanofibers.
• To investigate the relationship between electrospinning parameters and nanofiber characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel electrospinning system utilizing proportional integral-derivative (PID) control.
• Employed PID control to maintain constant current during polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) nanofiber production.
• Analyzed the effect of flow rate (Q) and current (I) on cone jet length and average nanofiber diameter.

Main Results:

• The developed electrospinning system successfully produced highly uniform PVAc nanofibers.
• Cone jet length and average nanofiber diameter decreased with decreasing Q/I ratio.
• A power law relationship between average diameter and Q/I was established, aligning with theoretical models.

Conclusions:

• The high-performance electrospinning system with PID control enables precise production of uniform PVAc nanofibers.
• The Q/I ratio is a critical parameter influencing nanofiber diameter and morphology.
• The findings validate the theoretical model for electrospinning.