Fabrication of poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers by wire electrode-incorporated electrospinning

Abstract

Wire electrodes for needleless electrospinning consist of stainless steel wires in place of cylinder electrodes. The effects of different numbers of constituent stainless steel wires on the morphology and diameter of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers are examined. With 1, 2, 3, or 4 stainless steel wires being twisted as wire electrodes, an 8, 10, or 12 wt.% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution is electrospun into PVA nanofibers by using a needleless electrospinning machine. The morphology and diameter of PVA nanofibers is observed by scanning electron microscopy. The combination of the number of stainless steel wires (two), PVA solution (10 wt.%), and the collecting distance (10 cm) results in the finest diameter and an evenly formed fiber morphology. In addition, the nanofibers exhibit a wide range of diameters when electrospun with an electrode consisting of more than two stainless steel wires. Compared with the cylinder electrode, the use of a wire electrode can form nanofibers, which results in a more even morphology.