Electrospinning uses high voltage to create polymer fibers. Liquid polymer is charged and pressurized, forming a Taylor cone and thin strands that are collected on a capillary screen. Nanowoven materials have medical and industrial applications, such as wound dressings, filters, and building materials.
Electrospinning in an industrial process in which a high voltage electrical charge is used to create polymer filament fibers. The process differs from electrospray, which uses droplets, in that the electrically charged liquid polymer is pulled into a solid wire. There are two methods used to create the liquid polymer used in electrospinning. It can be melted from its solid form, or it can be mixed with a solvent to form a polymer solution.
In the laboratory setting, basic electrospinning equipment can be set up using a high voltage power supply, glass pipette, syringe, and dosing pump to dispense the electrically charged liquid. The other component of the setup, the capillary shield, is connected to electrical ground. This screen can be fixed or can rotate to facilitate the spinning of the fibers. Using this simple setup, nanotechnology researchers have created polymer filaments and nanowoven materials, which are used in medical and industrial applications.
The methods used for electrospinning are quite basic. The liquid polymer is electrically charged by means of a wire electrode immersed in the liquid. It is then pressurized, forcing it to travel to the end of a glass tube. As the liquid polymer reaches the end of the tube, the electrically charged ions of the fluid are attracted to the oppositely charged capillary shield. When the surface tension of the liquid is overcome by the tensile force of the capillary shield, it forms a conical shape, called a Taylor cone.
The surface tension is completely overcome at this point by the attraction of the electrically charged capillary screen and thin strands of liquid polymer begin to form. As these wires stretch, they stretch and thin in a process called whipping, which resembles the movement of an electric arc through air. The filaments are transported through the air and eventually collected on the capillary screen.
The fine filaments created during the electrospinning process can be a few nanometers in diameter. These threads can also exhibit unique surface textures and qualities, making them desirable for a variety of applications. In the medical field, nanowoven fabrics are used to make wound dressings, structures for artificial organs, and plasters for drug delivery. Research laboratories also use these fabrics to make filters capable of isolating submicron particles. Industrial applications of the electrospinning process are also being discovered, offering options such as seamless clothing or composite building materials.
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