Needleless Electrohydrodynamic Cojetting of Bicompartmental Particles and Fibers from an Extended Fluid Interface.

Abstract

Electrohydrodynamic cojetting can result in fibers (electrospinning) and particles (electrospraying) with complex, bicompartmental architectures. An important consideration for application of bicompartmental particles and fibers is the limited throughput derived from the use of parallel capillaries, which require laminar flow to form a multifluidic interface. Here, a novel synthesis approach that takes advantage of an extended bicompartmental fluid interface formed at the sharp edge of a 2D plate is reported. Upon application of an electrical potential to the plate, several electrified fluid jets form spontaneously. Depending on the processing conditions, either bicompartmental particles or fibers with well-defined architectures are prepared. Importantly, this needleless process yields production rates that are more than 30 times higher than those of conventional needle-based techniques. Fiber properties, such as morphology or size, are independent of the flow rate, indicating that this process is physically self-regulating by adjusting the number of jets ejecting from the extended fluid interface. The needleless preparation of bicompartmental particles and fibers is an important technological breakthrough that can enable further advances ranging from drug delivery and tissue engineering to industrial applications.