Electrospinning

Is used for the creation of microfibres from either natural or synthetic polymer compounds.

When a solution is charged to a suitably high level (typically 10 to 30 kV), the surface of the liquid elongates and a cone (known as a Taylor cone) is formed. From the tip of the cone, a narrow jet of liquid is emitted and attracted to an earthed collector. If the cohesion of the liquid is low then a spray can form, but with polymers, this narrow jet essentially becomes a fibre.

If the collector plate is placed at a suitable distance from a charged nozzle or needle, the polymer dries during the transmission process leaving a dry polymer fibre on the collection plate. These fibres are extremely small and can be of nanometer dimensions and are essentially spun from the raw polymer, hence the name.

The usual laboratory equipment for this application consists of a syringe needle or similar, connected to a high voltage current supply (DC). A syringe pump is used to feed the liquid into the syringe needle from where the polymer is extruded towards a grounded plate or collector.

It is essential that the liquid feed is stable and constant since any variation will result in varying thickness of the resulting fibres. The recommended pump for this application is the Delta 1000 Electrospinning pump since it is extremely simple to use and has outstandingly stable flow characteristics.