Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.106, No.5, 3171-3178, 2007
Multijet electrospinning of conducting nanofibers from microfluidic manifolds
We present a method for the electrospinning of conducting polymeric composite nanofibers using a poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS)-based microfluidic device. To scale-up the process and spin multicomponent systems, we designed a unique multi-spinnerette electrospinning device using microchannels cast in PDMS. Nanofibers of poly (vinylpyrrolidone) and its composite with polypyrrole were successfully prepared using one-step and two-step microfluidic electrospinning. The effect of processing variables on the morphology of the nanofibers formed using this device was also studied. SEM images showed that fiber diameter and morphology strongly depend on processing parameters such as concentration, applied electric field, feed rate, solvent, and ionic salt addition. FTIR spectroscopy and conductivity measurements reveal the polymerization of pyrrole in the matrix of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone). (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.