Study of the electric field distribution of various electrospinning geometries and its effect on the resultant nanofibers using finite element simulation

Abstract

Electrospinning has emerged as one of the most versatile and extensively used approaches to synthesize nanofibers for a diverse range of applications. The production of custom nanofibrous assemblies with controlled fiber orientation, spatial deposition, and high productivity is desirable for emerging applications that demand new electrospinning system designs. The electric field plays a major role in determining the jet trajectory and thereby its manipulation can provide us with a tool to create desired fibrous architectures. In this work, we have systematically studied the three aspects of electrospinning system, specifically, collector/target designs, auxiliary electrodes, and multi-nozzle configurations using finite element simulation. The electric field distribution for different designs were analyzed and correlated with the literature-reported experimental studies to envisage the resultant macroscopic properties of the fibers. It was established that the alteration in electric field distribution can be exploited to control and enhance the fiber alignment, spatial deposition, and productivity.