Electrohydrodynamic quenching in polymer melt electrospinning

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 073102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduard Zhmayev ◽  
Daehwan Cho ◽  
Yong Lak Joo
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Melt ◽  
Melt Electrospinning

Numerical simulation of gas‐assisted polymer‐melt electrospinning: Parametric study of a multinozzle system for mass production

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 2111-2121
Author(s):  
Youbin Kwon ◽  
Jihyun Yoon ◽  
Seung‐Yeol Jeon ◽  
Daehwan Cho ◽  
Kwangjin Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Mass Production ◽  
Parametric Study ◽  
Polymer Melt ◽  
Melt Electrospinning

scholarly journals Melt Electrospinning Writing Process Guided by a “Printability Number”

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippos Tourlomousis ◽  
Houzhu Ding ◽  
Dilhan M. Kalyon ◽  
Robert C. Chang
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Polymer Melt ◽  
Volumetric Flow Rate ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Electrospinning Process ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Dimensionless Numbers ◽  
Melt Electrospinning ◽  
Resistive Forces

The direct electrostatic printing of highly viscous thermoplastic polymers onto movable collectors, a process known as melt electrospinning writing (MEW), has significant potential as an additive biomanufacturing (ABM) technology. MEW has the hitherto unrealized potential of fabricating three-dimensional (3D) porous interconnected fibrous mesh-patterned scaffolds in conjunction with cellular-relevant fiber diameters and interfiber distances without the use of cytotoxic organic solvents. However, this potential cannot be readily fulfilled owing to the large number and complex interplay of the multivariate independent parameters of the melt electrospinning process. To overcome this manufacturing challenge, dimensional analysis is employed to formulate a “Printability Number” (NPR), which correlates with the dimensionless numbers arising from the nondimensionalization of the governing conservation equations of the electrospinning process and the viscoelasticity of the polymer melt. This analysis suggests that the applied voltage potential (Vp), the volumetric flow rate (Q), and the translational stage speed (UT) are the most critical parameters toward efficient printability. Experimental investigations using a poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) melt reveal that any perturbations arising from an imbalance between the downstream pulling forces and the upstream resistive forces can be eliminated by systematically tuning Vp and Q for prescribed thermal conditions. This, in concert with appropriate tuning of the translational stage speed, enables steady-state equilibrium conditions to be achieved for the printing of microfibrous woven meshes with precise and reproducible geometries.

scholarly journals Melt electrospun fibrous architectures with target geometries

2021 ◽  
Vol 1208 (1) ◽  
pp. 012004
Author(s):  
Budimir Mijović ◽  
Josip Jelić ◽  
Petra Brać ◽  
Snježana Kirin
Keyword(s):  
Fibre Diameter ◽  
Polymer Melt ◽  
Direct Writing ◽  
Tissue Engineering Scaffolds ◽  
Electrospinning Technique ◽  
Collector Plate ◽  
Melt Electrospinning ◽  
Melt Spun ◽  
Tissue Reconstruction ◽  
2D And 3D

Abstract In the melt electrospinning technique, the polymer melt is stretched under high voltage and the cooled to form microfibers structures with a fibre diameter in the tens of micrometres range, although some studies have reported values ranging from hundreds of nanometres to hundreds of micrometres. In this respect, this technique has significance in the biomedical field, where tissue engineering scaffolds with bimodal (nano and micro) fibrous structures are preferred in regard to cell adhesion, spreading and infiltration to final tissue reconstruction. This paper gives a review of recently reported melt electrospinning devices, especially those based on the direct writing principle, and of their comparison with the new melt Spraybase electrospinning device. The Spraybase device provides high precision melt jet deposition into 2D and 3D programmed architectures, with versatile translation speeds of the collector plate in the X-Y and the melt head in the Z direction. The melt spun fibrous architectures are designed depending on the types of tissue cells used in scaffold development.

Factors Influencing Diameter of Polypropylene Fiber in Melt Electrospinning

2011 ◽  
Vol 221 ◽  
pp. 129-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Feng Hao ◽  
Yong Liu ◽  
Xue Tao He ◽  
Yu Mei Ding ◽  
Wei Min Yang
Keyword(s):  
Room Temperature ◽  
Polypropylene Fiber ◽  
Polymer Melt ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Smooth Surfaces ◽  
Optimum Point ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Melt Electrospinning ◽  
Solution Electrospinning ◽  
Normal Processing

Melt electrospinning is a safer, more environmentally friendly and cheaper alternative to solution electrospinning in producing superfine fibers. In this paper, a novel melt electrospinning device was used, which has higher efficiency than conventional equipment. Polypropylene is widely used in many fields and it is difficult to find a suitable solvent for its solution electrospinning at room temperature, so it was chosen in this study. The influences of the electrospinning parameters such as temperature and voltage on the diameter of the spinning fibers have been studied. Temperatures higher than normal processing temperatures were used in present electrospinning system in order to reduce the viscosity of the polymer melt sufficiently. Good quality fibers with smooth surfaces and with diameters mostly smaller than 10 microns were spun successfully. It was found that there was an optimum point for the spinning voltage (70-80KV) and the temperature (230-260°C) to get fine fibers.

scholarly journals Bubble Melt Electrospinning for Production of Polymer Microfibers

Polymers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye-Ming Li ◽  
Xiao-Xiong Wang ◽  
Shu-Xin Yu ◽  
Ying-Tao Zhao ◽  
Xu Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Fiber Diameter ◽  
Heating Temperature ◽  
Polymer Melt ◽  
Taylor Cone ◽  
Ultrafine Fibers ◽  
Melt Electrospinning ◽  
Spinning Process ◽  
Metal Needle ◽  
Polymer Microfibers

In this paper, we report an interesting bubble melt electrospinning (e-spinning) to produce polymer microfibers. Usually, melt e-spinning for fabricating ultrafine fibers needs “Taylor cone”, which is formed on the tip of the spinneret. The spinneret is also the bottleneck for mass production in melt e-spinning. In this work, a metal needle-free method was tried in the melt e-spinning process. The “Taylor cone” was formed on the surface of the broken polymer melt bubble, which was produced by an airflow. With the applied voltage ranging from 18 to 25 kV, the heating temperature was about 210–250 °C, and polyurethane (TPU) and polylactic acid (PLA) microfibers were successfully fabricated by this new melt e-spinning technique. During the melt e-spinning process, polymer melt jets ejected from the burst bubbles could be observed with a high-speed camera. Then, polymer microfibers could be obtained on the grounded collector. The fiber diameter ranged from 45 down to 5 μm. The results indicate that bubble melt e-spinning may be a promising method for needleless production in melt e-spinning.

scholarly journals The Effect of Dye and Pigment Concentrations on the Diameter of Melt-Electrospun Polylactic Acid Fibers

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2321 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.K. Balakrishnan ◽  
K. Koenig ◽  
G. Seide
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Polylactic Acid ◽  
Electrical Resistance ◽  
Polymer Melt ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Electrospinning Process ◽  
Polymer Aggregates ◽  
Melt Electrospinning ◽  
Coarse Fibers ◽  
Solution Electrospinning

Sub-microfibers and nanofibers produce more breathable fabrics than coarse fibers and are therefore widely used in the textiles industry. They are prepared by electrospinning using a polymer solution or melt. Solution electrospinning produces finer fibers but requires toxic solvents. Melt electrospinning is more environmentally friendly, but is also technically challenging due to the low electrical conductivity and high viscosity of the polymer melt. Here we describe the use of colorants as additives to improve the electrical conductivity of polylactic acid (PLA). The addition of colorants increased the viscosity of the melt by >100%, but reduced the electrical resistance by >80% compared to pure PLA (5 GΩ). The lowest electrical resistance of 50 MΩ was achieved using a composite containing 3% (w/w) indigo. However, the thinnest fibers (52.5 µm, 53% thinner than pure PLA fibers) were obtained by adding 1% (w/w) alizarin. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that fibers containing indigo featured polymer aggregates that inhibited electrical conductivity, and thus increased the fiber diameter. With further improvements to avoid aggregation, the proposed melt electrospinning process could complement or even replace industrial solution electrospinning and dyeing.

scholarly journals Size-Controllable Melt-Electrospun Polycaprolactone (PCL) Fibers with a Sodium Chloride Additive

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piyasin ◽  
Yensano ◽  
Pinitsoontorn
Keyword(s):  
Electrostatic Force ◽  
Electrospun Fiber ◽  
Polymer Melt ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Electrospinning Process ◽  
Electrospun Fibers ◽  
Glass Syringe ◽  
Melt Electrospinning ◽  
Size And Morphology ◽  
Two Parameters

Melt-electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers were fabricated by using NaCl as an additive. The size and morphology of the PCL fibers could be controlled by varying the concentration of the additive. The smallest size of the fibers (2.67 0.57) µm was found in the sample with 8 wt% NaCl, which was an order of magnitude smaller than the PCL fibers without the additive. The melt-electrospun fibers were characterized using the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. Interestingly, a trace of NaCl was not found in any melt-electrospun fiber. The remaining PCL after melt-electrospinning was evaporated by annealing, and the NaCl residual was found in the glass syringe. The result confirmed that the NaCl additive was not ejected from the glass syringe in the melt-electrospinning process. Instead, the NaCl additive changed the viscosity and the polarization of the molten polymer. Two parameters are crucial in determining the size and morphology of the electrospun fibers. The higher NaCl concentration could lead to higher polarization of the polymer melt and thus a stronger electrostatic force, but it could also result in an exceedingly high viscosity for melt-electrospinning. In addition, the absence of NaCl in the melt-electrospun PCL fibers is advantageous. The fibers need not be cleaned to remove additives and can be directly exploited in applications, such as tissue engineering or wound dressing.

scholarly journals Pilot-scale production of polylactic acid nanofibers by melt electrospinning

e-Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-241
Author(s):  
Kylie Koenig ◽  
Fabian Langensiepen ◽  
Gunnar Seide
Keyword(s):  
Polylactic Acid ◽  
Polymer Melt ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Climate Control ◽  
Pump Speed ◽  
Melt Electrospinning ◽  
Glass Chamber ◽  
Solution Electrospinning ◽  
Conventional Solution

AbstractMelt electrospinning has been used to manufacture fibers with diameters in the low micrometer range, but the production of submicrometer fibers has proven more challenging. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of fabricating polylactic acid nanofibers using polymer grades with the increasing melt flow rates (15–85 g/10 min at 210°C) by melt electrospinning with a 600-nozzle pilot-scale device featuring an integrated climate control system realized as a glass chamber around the spinneret. Previous experiments using this device without appropriate climate control produced fibers exceeding 1 µm in diameter because the drawing of fibers was inhibited by the rapid cooling of the polymer melt. The integrated glass chamber created a temperature gradient exceeding the glass transition temperature of the polymer, which enhanced the drawing of fibers below the spinneret. An average fiber diameter of 810 nm was achieved using Ingeo Biopolymer 6252, and the finest individual fiber (420 nm in diameter) was produced at a spin pump speed of 5 rpm and a spinneret set temperature of 230°C. We have therefore demonstrated the innovative performance of our pilot-scale melt-electrospinning device, which bridges the gap between laboratory-scale and pilot-scale manufacturing and achieves fiber diameters comparable to those produced by conventional solution electrospinning.

Nanofibers from gas-assisted polymer melt electrospinning

Polymer ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 51 (18) ◽  
pp. 4140-4144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduard Zhmayev ◽  
Daehwan Cho ◽  
Yong Lak Joo
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Melt ◽  
Melt Electrospinning

scholarly journals An example of industrialization of melt electrospinning: Polymer melt differential electrospinning

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 110-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Mingjun ◽  
Zhang Youchen ◽  
Li Haoyi ◽  
Li Xiangnan ◽  
Ding Yumei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Melt ◽  
Melt Electrospinning
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