Impacts of viscosity on bending behavior of the electrospun jet: Simulation model and experiment

Abstract

Numerous experimental data indicate that higher viscosity solutions make it easier to obtain coarser fibers. However, the influences of viscosity on the whipping behavior of the jet and their subsequent impacts on the formation of terminal fiber during electrospinning remain topics of ongoing research. Simulation model and experiment presented in this study aim to solve these problems. The simulation model alters the dimensionless parameter Fve to predict the impacts of different viscosities on the bending behavior of the electrospun jet, while the experiment observes this behavior under different viscosities by regulating the solution concentration. The consistency of the simulation and experimental data implies the accuracy of the conclusions in this paper. Furthermore, the simulation model and experiment have demonstrated that a higher viscosity jet results in a smaller radius of the jet trajectory and lower jet velocity, which in turn leads to the formation of coarser fiber.