Indra W. Fathona

One-Step Fabrication of Short Nanofibers by Electrospinning: Effect of Needle Size on Nanofiber Length

The effect of needle size on the fiber length was studied and investigated. A polymer solution of cellulose acetate (CA) and organic solvent was ejected from various sizes of needle gauge then the electrospun polymer fibers were adhered on a collector plate. The diameter of fibers was ranging from 80 to 570 nm and the length could be controlled from 10 to 240 µm by increasing the needle size. The breakaway to shortened nanofibers occurred due to the imbalance of force from the surface tension of the polymer solution and the longitudinal force of the applied voltage.

Mapping the influence of electrospinning parameters on the morphology transition of short and continuous nanofibers

A theoretical model for the morphology transition of short and continuous nanofibers by electrospinning has been proposed. The influences of polymer concentration, applied voltage, and flow rate on the fabrication of short and continuous nanofibers were mapped for use as a reference in the design and construction of the theoretical model. The morphology transition of short and continuous nanofibers occurred mainly due to changes in the flow rate and voltage. According to the concentration of the polymer in the solution, the map of the short nanofiber region was narrowed as the polymer concentration increased. The theoretical model derived from the conservation of kinetic energy and potential energy experienced by the polymer solution resulted in an equation that could be used to calculate the voltage and flow rates under certain boundary conditions when cutting nanofibers. The boundary conditions for voltage were 4.7-4.9 kV, and the boundary conditions for flow rate were 0.1-1.1 µl/min.