University of Connecticut |
Polymer Program SeminarControlling the Fiber Diameter in Electrospinning Massachusetts Institute of Technology Friday, October 1, 2004 11:00 am , IMS Room 20 Electrostatic fiber formation (aka "electrospinning") has emerged in the past few years as one of the simplest and most promising methods for producing long, continuous fibers with diameters less than 1 micron from a wide variety of materials. In the past three years alone, over 200 papers have appeared describing applications ranging from filtration media and membranes, to drug delivery and biomedical applications, to carbon and ceramic fibers, and others. To date, however, there remains no consensus regarding which fluid and processing variables are most conducive to control of fiber diameter and uniformity for the smallest fiber sizes. Through a combination of mathematical modeling and experimental observation, we see to develop a comprehensive and coherent description of the electrospinning process, for the purpose of controlling the production of submicron diameter fibers. This presentation summarizes some of what we have learned, and proposals for alternative electrospinning strategies.
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