Physical principles of electrospinning (Electrospinning as a nano-scale technology of the twenty-first century)

摘要

The history of electrospinning is briefly introduced at the beginning of the article. The fundaments of the process are then analysed physically to be translated into a successful technology. Self-organisation of fluid in electrospinning is perceived as a consequence of various instabilities, based on electrohydrodynamics and, thus, highlighted as a key factor, theorising the subject successfully to elevate it to a highly productive technology to manufacture nano-scale materials. The main physical principle of the self-organisation is appearance of unstable tiny capillary waves on liquid surfaces, either on a free liquid surface or on that confined in a capillary, which is influenced by external fields. The jet path is described, as well as its possible control, by special collectors and spinning electrodes. Two electrospinning variants, i.e. melt and core-shell electrospinning, are discussed in detail. Two scarcely referred exceptional features of electrospinning, electric wind and accompanying irradiations, are introduced in in-depth detail. Lastly, care is taken over the quality of polymeric solutions for electrospinning from the standpoint of Hansen solubility parameters and entanglements among polymeric chains.