History Of Electrospinning

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Electrospinning is a fibre spinning technique that produces materials with small fibres from micro- to nanometers fibre diameters, high surface area, and an interconnected fibrous network desirable for a range of applications. Electrospinning is a well-recognized and effective technique to produce fibres from the electrostatically driven jets of polymer solution or melts [15].
1.1. History of electrospinning.
The term “electrospinning”, derived from “electrostatic spinning”, has been used only in 1994 but existence of the process itself can be proven back since XVIII century. However, it started to develop faster in XX century [4].

In 1900 John Francis Cooley filled the first electrospinning patent where he proposed four types of indirectly …show more content…

Before reaching the collecting screen, the solution jet evaporates or solidifies, and is collected as an interconnected web of small fibres. One electrode is placed into the spinning solution/melt and the other attached to the collector. In most cases, the collector is simply grounded. The electric field is subjected to the end of the capillary tube that contains the solution fluid held by its surface tension. This induces a charge on the surface of the liquid. Mutual charge repulsion and the contraction of the surface charges to the counter electrode cause a force directly opposite to the surface tension. As the intensity of the electric field is increased, the hemispherical surface of the fluid at the tip of the capillary tube elongates to form a conical shape known as the Taylor cone. Further increasing the electric field, a critical value is attained with which the repulsive electrostatic force overcomes the surface tension and the charged jet of the fluid is ejected from the tip of the Taylor cone. The discharged polymer solution jet undergoes an instability and elongation process, which allows the jet to become very long and thin. Meanwhile, the solvent evaporates, leaving behind a charged polymer fibre. In the case of the melt the discharged jet solidifies when it travels in the air …show more content…

At low voltages, bead free spinning is possible as the jet originates from the Taylor cone itself rather than from the surface of the liquid within the needle tip when voltage exceeds the typical spinning range. These large beaded structures at higher voltages are generated when the Taylor cone recedes at the tip of the needle. Beads formation exceeds according to the increase of the electric field strength. Increased voltages not only produce beaded structures but also lead to the formation of several large diameter jets [4], [11], [12],

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