Electrohydrodynamic direct-writing of three-dimensional multi-loop nanofibrous coils

Abstract

This paper studies the whipping deposition behavior of straight charged jets of Near-Field Electrospinning. A micro 3D structure of multi-loop nanofibrous coil was printed on a silicon collector. The whipping motion resulted from Coulomb force caused the charged jet to deposit and form a coiled structure. With the guidance of deposited nanofiber, the charged jet deposited layer by layer to build up a 3D nanofibrous coiled structure with 3–50 loops. The diameter of the coiled structure ranged from 4 to 60 μm. The number of loops decreased with the increase of collector motion speed, due to shorter post-deposition relaxing time. With higher stress inside the charged jet, PEO solution of higher concentration led to fewer loops but larger diameter of the coil. This work provides a promising method to study the control technology of charged jet printing, which may push forward the development of micro 3D inkjet printing technology.