Electrospinning of polymeric nanofiber materials : process characterization and unique applications

摘要

Electrospinning or electrostatic fiber spinning employs electrostatic force to draw a fiber from a spinneret. This fiber solidifies and lies down on a collector in the form of a non-woven fiber mat. Electrospinning has attracted much attention recently due to the ease with which fine fibers about 10 nanometers to 10 microns in diameter can be produced from both natural and synthetic polymers. Despite the large volume of publications on this technology, few publications discuss the mechanics of electrospinning. Most publications deal with the exploratory works on what material can be electrospun and the potential applications of the electrospun fibers. This work examined the electrohydrodynamics of the electrospinning process and developed this technology for making functional materials. The first part of this dissertation deals with the electrohydrodynamics of the process. The effects of processing parameters and material properties on the size and structure of electrospun fibers were studied. The experimental findings validated the analytical scaling model developed by Fridrikh and co-workers to predict how the final radius or "the terminal jet radius" of the electrospun fiber depends on the processing parameters.