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A correlation for the diameter of electrospun polymer nanofibers
Author(s) -
Helgeson Matthew E.,
Wagner Norman J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.11056
Subject(s) - electrospinning , spinning , nanofiber , dimensionless quantity , scaling , materials science , polymer , capillary action , fiber , morphology (biology) , jet (fluid) , composite material , nanotechnology , mechanics , mathematics , physics , geometry , biology , genetics
A rational method to control morphology of polymer nanofibers produced by electrospinning is developed using dimensional analysis of the electrospinning process. The analysis is validated against data sets from the literature, which provides an empirical correlation between fiber size, controllable operating conditions, and measurable spinning solution properties. A stable jet operating regime is identified for which scaling of dimensionless groups is presented. Deviations from this scaling are qualitatively consistent with capillary instability of the electrospinning jet, for which a beaded fiber morphology is obtained. The results provide criteria for designing and controlling electrospinning of polymer solutions and resulting nanofiber morphology. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007