Chapter 9 - Scale-up strategies for electrospun nanofiber production

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors made a deliberated review of the recent advances in scale-up technologies of electrospinning. The scaleup strategies for different types of electrospinning technologies are proposed by the authors toward rapid industrialization of the current electrospinning technologies. During capillary-electrospinning processes, the key problems are deemed to lie in the greater end effect, nonuniformity of the electrospun web, less productivity, and easier blockage of the needle tips. These disadvantages could be efficiently avoided by increasing the number of needles, using auxiliary electrodes and new types of spinning nozzles, using automatic wiping, etc. In noncapillary electrospinning processes, the nature of high productivity allows mass production of nanofibers at relatively lower end effect but higher voltages are applied, and hence there is the hazard of air breakdown. Additionally, the feed rate and solution concentration are not well controlled. Finding a new avenue may solve the annoying problems and remove the main weaknesses existing in the current electrospinning technologies.