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Parallel nanomanufacturing via electrohydrodynamic jetting from microfabricated externally-fed emitter arrays
Philip J Ponce de Leon1, Frances A Hill, Eric V Heubel
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 01239, USA.
Nanotechnology
|May 12, 2015
Summary
We developed high-throughput silicon electrospinning arrays for polymer nanofibers. These arrays significantly exceed commercial production rates, offering scalable solutions for nanofiber fabrication.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Electrospinning is a key technique for producing polymer nanofibers.
- Current electrospinning methods face limitations in throughput and scalability.
- High-throughput nanofiber generation is crucial for industrial applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design, fabricate, and characterize planar arrays of externally-fed silicon electrospinning emitters.
- To investigate the scalability and performance of these arrays for high-throughput nanofiber production.
- To optimize array design for enhanced mass flux and uniform fiber deposition.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of planar silicon electrospinning emitter arrays with varying emitter densities (up to 100 emitters cm(-2)).
- Characterization using a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) solution in water and ethanol.
- Measurement of mass flux rates and fiber diameters.
- Evaluation of the effect of emitter separation and bias voltage on performance.
- Assessment of a ground electrode's impact on field enhancement and imprint spread.
Main Results:
- Arrays with up to 225 emitters and densities of 25 emitters cm(-2) produced uniform nanofibers (hundreds of nanometers in diameter).
- Achieved mass flux rates up to 417 g hr(-1) m(-2), four times higher than commercial sources.
- Throughput increased with array size, indicating scalability.
- Higher emitter densities (100 emitters cm(-2)) resulted in electrospraying, not fiber formation.
- Optimal performance was linked to larger emitter separation and higher bias voltages, highlighting electrical field enhancement.
Conclusions:
- Externally-fed silicon electrospinning arrays offer a scalable solution for high-throughput polymer nanofiber production.
- Array design, including emitter density, separation, and electrical field control, significantly impacts performance.
- This technology demonstrates potential to surpass existing commercial electrospinning capabilities.
