Environmentally Controlled Electrospinning

Abstract

Electrospinning is a versatile technique for various applications. This process is influenced by temperature and relative humidity that impact the spinnability and morphology of the electrospun fiber. However, electrospinning in climatized conditions is scarcely reported in the literature. This study aims at filling this gap in the case of emulsion electrospinning where the fiber morphology and the encapsulation efficiency of the dispersed phase within the polymer of the continuous phase will be influenced by the environmental parameters. The electrospinning of thermo-responsive polymer solutions was also considered. Indeed, the spinning of fibers from polymer solutions is also influenced by environmental parameter since the polymer chain changes configuration (collapse of polymer chains) and behavior (hydrophilic/hydrophobic) when the solution temperature becomes higher (or lower) than a critical solubility temperature. Fiber surface chemistry and morphology changed. Parallel projects focused on the electrospinning of emulsions for different applications and having complex architectures.