Electric Field Simulation and Optimization on Solid-core Needles of Electrospinning Device

doi:10.7503/cjcu20160852

Abstract

Abstract:

Electrospinning is a widely used technique for nanofiber preparation at large scale that is mainly divided into two categories, namely, multi-needle and needleless categories. However, both categories have some drawbacks. For example, the capillary channels of the former can easily get jammed, while the solvent in the polymer solution storage box of the latter is liable to volatilize. A new type of solid-core needle electrospinning method was proposed and investigated to overcome the shortcomings of the current electrospinning technology. In this method, the solid-core needles with no capillary channels were used as the emitting electrodes and placed on the axis of the solution guiding rods made of insulating materials. The solution guiding rods were in close connection with the taper holes at the bottom of the solution storage box and could be moved up and down to control the solution flow. Moreover, the reciprocating up-and-down movement of the solution guiding rods can clean up the liquid feeding channels, thereby preventing the solution from coagulating and blocking the channels. Thus, the problems existing in the current electrospinning technologies, such as the needle capillary blockage in the needle electrospinning method and the rapid solvent volatilization in the solution box in the needleless electrospinning method, can be efficiently avoided. Electric field intensity simulations of the newly established electrospinning models were also performed to find the optimum structure parameters by increasing the field intensity and reducing the end effect with the help of the finite element analysis software, COMSOL. Lastly, electrospinning experiments were conducted on the newly invented electrospinning device based on the solid-core needle and non-circular gear traverse mechanism. The results indicate that this new electrospinning method could solve the complications of polymer clogging and solvent volatilization and obtain a uniform electrospinning effect.

Key words: Electrospinning, Solid-core needle, COMSOL, Electric field simulation

CLC Number:

O631

TrendMD:

LIU Jian, LIU Yanbo, BUKHARI Samman hassan, REN Qian, WEI Chunhua, JIANG Xiuming. Electric Field Simulation and Optimization on Solid-core Needles of Electrospinning Device[J]. Chem. J. Chinese Universities, 2017, 38(6): 1011.

Figures/Tables 14

Fig.1 Electrospinning emitting electrode using solid-core needles (A) Main view; (B) local enlarged view.

Fig.2 Schematic diagram of the electrospinning device using solid-core needles

Table 1 Basic model parameters

Voltage/kV	Diameter of needles/mm	Distance between two needles/mm	Receiving distance/mm	Length of needles/mm	Size of receiving plate/mm³
30	1	28	150	24	150×60×2

Fig.3 Field intensity map of five conventional needles in a linear array

Fig.4 Average electric field intensity of five conventional needles in a linear array

Fig.5 Field intensity map of the solid-core needles wrapped with an insulating material

Fig.6 Average electric field intensity of the solid-core needles wrapped with an insulating material

Fig.7 Field intensity maps after changing the length of the solid-core needlesLength of needles/mm: (A) 12; (B) 6; (C) 3.

Fig.8 Peak value of the electric field intensity after changing the length of the solid-core needles

Fig.9 Average electric field intensity after changing the length of the solid-core needles

Fig.10 Field intensity maps after increasing the diameter Diameter of solution guiding rods/mm: (A) 11; (B) 12.

Fig.11 Field intensity map of the solid-core needles with conical tips

Fig.12 Electrospinning device with solid-core needles

Fig.13 SEM image of nanofibers

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