Electrospinning drafting system for polyamide 6 and polyamide 6.6 nanofiber production

Abstract

Electrospinning or electrostatic spinning is a straightforward, economical and unique method to produce novel fibers with diameters in the range of 100 nm and even less. However, this process is characterized by uncontrolled and chaotic oscillation of the charged electrospinning jet, which leads to the formation of beads, beaded fibers and uneven nanofibers. This research work aims at the development of an electrospinning system to control the deposition of electrospun nanofibers of polyamide 6 (PA6) and polyamide 6.6 (PA6.6) through the use of a series of metal rings, along the charged jet path, and the addition of a secondary direct current voltage power supply connected to these metal rings, which enables greater control over the polymer jet stream. In the present work, the effects of the addition of the charged metal rings with different applied voltages and some electrospinning parameters on the morphological appearance and average size diameter of the electrospun PA6 and PA6.6 fibers are investigated. The use of the developed electrospinning system with metal rings connected to the second power supply with increasing voltages proved to be successful in obtaining thinner PA6 and PA6.6 nanofibers with a lower standard deviation and the formation of few beads.