Experimental study and modeling of the electrospinning process

Abstract

In this paper the authors report theoretical modeling of the electrospinning process which is substantiated by experimental study for comparison. Different types of polyethylene oxide nanofibres are spun in the presence and absence of poly allylamine hydrochloride (PAH) in the spinning solution. Two different paths of the fibre formation (jet modes), namely, straight and whipping jet paths are observed during this study. These jet paths are further analyzed to see their influence in the formation of uniform and bead free nanofibres. For the first time the authors report that the length of the straight jet path during the fibre formation plays a major role in the formation of uniform and bead free nanofibres in comparison to the whipping path. Nanofibres spun in the presence of PAH with higher concentration give rise to uniform fibres with longer straight jet path in comparison to the one spun without PAH. A theoretical model of the electrospinning process was developed by taking into account the straight and whipping paths of the fibre formation modes. The electric force acting on the charged polymer jet was calculated