Homogeneity of Needleless Electrospun Nanofiber Mats

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Needleless electrospinning enables large-area nanofiber mat production.
• Homogeneity is crucial for applications requiring defined thickness and mechanical properties, such as filtration.
• Existing practices often discard outer sample regions to mitigate variations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the homogeneity of needleless electrospun nanofiber mats.
• To quantify variations in thickness, mass per unit area, and mechanical properties across samples.
• To assess the impact of these variations on material suitability for various applications.

Main Methods:

• Wire-based electrospinning was employed to prepare nanofiber mats.
• Thickness and mass per unit area were measured at multiple positions.
• Martindale abrasion tests were conducted to evaluate mechanical properties.
• Porosity was calculated from apparent density measurements.

Main Results:

• Significant variations in thickness (nearly one order of magnitude) were observed within single samples.
• Mass per unit area and porosity also exhibited substantial inhomogeneity.
• Apparent density, though more uniform, still varied by over a factor of two.
• Mechanical properties, assessed by abrasion tests, likely reflect these structural variations.

Conclusions:

• Needleless electrospun nanofiber mats display significant inhomogeneity in key properties.
• Variations in thickness, mass per unit area, and density cannot be disregarded, even in apparently uniform sections.
• These findings necessitate careful consideration of homogeneity for all potential applications of these materials.