Needleless electrospinning of PA6 fibers : the effect of solution concentration and electrospinning voltage on fiber diameter

Aulova, Alexandra (author), Bek, Marko (author), Kossovich, Leonid (author), Emri, Igor (author)

Needleless electrospinning is the process of forming thin material fibers from the open surface of its solution or melt in a strong electrostatic field. Electrospun non-woven materials are used in various applications that require specific fiber diameters and pore size distributions. Fiber diameter depends on the properties of the polymer solution and manufacturing conditions. A needleless electrospinning process using the Nanospider setup was investigated using the commonly used polyamide 6 (PA6) solution in a mixture of acetic and formic acids. Polymer solutions with different polymer concentrations were characterized by viscosity, surface tension and electrical conductivity. An increase in polymer content in the solution resulted in the exponential increase of the solution viscosity, polynomial increase of electrical conductivity and had almost no effect on surface tension. The effect of the polymer concentration in the solution, as well as electrospinning voltage on fiber diameter and diameter distribution, was investigated using scanning electron microscopy images. The average fiber diameter linearly increases with the increased polymer concentration and also demonstrates an increase with increased electrospinning voltage, although less pronounced. Therefore, a change in the PA6 solution concentration should be used for the robust adjustment of fiber diameter, while changes in electrospinning voltage are more appropriate for fine tuning the fiber diameter during the process of needleless electrospinning.

• Language: English
• Keywords: needleless electrospinning, nanospider, fiber diameter, solution concentration, voltage
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Place of publishing: Ljubljana
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: Str. 421-430
• Numbering: Vol. 66, no. 6
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-118126
• UDC: 621.3.027+620.3(045)
• ISSN on article: 0039-2480
• DOI: 10.5545/sv-jme.2020.6713
• COBISS.SI-ID: 25874179
• Publication date in RUL: 21.08.2020

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Strojniški vestnik
• Shortened title: Stroj. vestn.
• Publisher: Zveza strojnih inženirjev in tehnikov Slovenije [etc.], = Association of Mechanical Engineers and Technicians of Slovenia [etc.
• ISSN: 0039-2480
• COBISS.SI-ID: 762116

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Brezigelno elektropredenje vlaken PA6: vpliv koncentracije raztopine in električne napetosti na premer vlaken
• Keywords: brezigelno elektropredenje, nanospider, PA6, premer vlaken, koncentracija raztopine, električna napetost