Polymer Engineering and Science, Vol.47, No.10, 1530-1535, 2007
How is it possible to produce highly oriented yarns of electrospun fibers?
Electrospinning of polymeric nanofibers onto a stationary grounded target produces a nonwoven mat-like material. Using a rapidly rotating grounded target in the form of a wheel or belt, it is possible to produce significant lengths of highly oriented yarns of electrospun filaments. This observation is difficult to explain when one compares the calculated velocity of an electrospun monofilament with the surface velocity of the grounded target. This study was undertaken to attempt to answer this question. Are the calculated fiber velocities correct? Is the collected electrospun filament really a monofilament? Does the electrospun filament split into multiple filaments or do fibers loop in an oriented manner on the collection wheel?.