Centrifugal force spinning of PA6 nanofibers – processability and morphology of solution-spun fibers

Abstract

Forcespinning™ is a newly developed process that employs centrifugal force to spin nanofibers from polymer solutions or melts. Nanofibers and nanofibrous structures have remarkable properties due to their small diameter and high surface area to volume ratio. The ability to control the average value and dispersion of fiber diameter is critical for applications such as filtration and tissue engineering scaffolds, where the performance of the nanofiber membranes depends on fiber diameter. This research investigates the interactions among polymer fluid viscosity and Forcespinning parameters, and their impact on fiber morphology and diameter using PA6 as a spinning material. The results indicate a positive relationship between spinning solution viscosity and fiber diameter. Increasing the solution viscosity both shifts the diameter distribution and increases its spread toward higher values, which results in the alteration of its shape. In addition to fiber diameter, viscosity appeared to also play a major role in determining the spinnability of the solution. Other spinning parameters, i.e. spinneret speed and spinning nozzle gage, played a minor role relative to the polymer solution viscosity, in determining both processability and fiber diameter distribution.