Bubble Electrospinning Research Articles

The bubble electrostatic spraying a new technology for fabrication of superhydrophobic nanofiber membranes

Researchers are excited about the latest advances in the long needle electrospinning and the bubble electrospinning, which have triggered wide-spread concern. This paper offers a new angle for modifying both methods, the former is developed into a modified one with an auxiliary helix needle, which is used for fabrication of super-hydrophobic polyvinylidene difluoride-copolypolyhexafluoropropylene nanofiber membrane (PH-E membrane for short), and the latter is extended to a bubble electrostatic spaying, which is used for spraying PDMS microspheres on the PH-E membrane surface, and the resultant membrane is called as the PDMS-PH-E membrane. Both membranes hydrophobicity, surface roughness, porosity, and wetting property are measured and compared, and the drop impact dynamical property of the PDMS-PH-E membrane has opened the path for a new way to design of self-clearing and anti-fouling and anti-wetting surfaces. Far-reaching applications of the membranes include energy harvesting devices and sensors. We anticipate this article to be a starting point for more sophisticated study of the bubble electrostatic spaying and PDMS-PH-E membrane advanced applications.

Bipolymer nanofibers: Engineering nanoscale interface via bubble electrospinning

AbstractModern applications in biomedicine, drug delivery, and tissue engineering demand versatile materials capable of meeting multifaceted requirements. Conventional mono‐functional materials fall short of addressing these complex demands. To tackle this challenge, this study introduces an innovative approach utilizing bubble electrospinning for the fabrication of bipolymeric side‐by‐side nanofibers. These nanofibers incorporate distinct hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains aligned parallel to their axis, achieved through the electrospinning of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the hydrophilic component, alongside either poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) or Nylon6 as the hydrophobic component. The optimal diameter of the bubble electrospinning reservoir was theoretically determined via simulation of electric field using Maxwell 3D software and experimentally validated. Successful electrospinning resulted in nanofibers with hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains derived from PVA/Nylon6 and PVA/PCL polymer combinations. This innovative process yielded nanofibers with diameters as fine as 101 nm in the PVA/Nylon6 bipolymeric nanofibers. Transmission electron microscopy images provide compelling insights into the distinct interfaces formed during polymer‐polymer interactions within the nanofibers, manifesting the Janus structure. Furthermore, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy confirms the presence of both polymers within the nanofiber matrix. This research represents a significant advancement in the efficient production of bipolymer nanofibers, holding promise for a wide range of applications.

Double Bubble Electrospinning: Patents and Nanoscale Interface.

Bipolymeric nanofibers have gained significant attention in various fields due to their enhanced functionality, improved mechanical properties, and controlled release capabilities. However, the fabrication of these composite fibers with a well-defined polymer-polymer interface remains a challenging task. The double bubble electrospinning setup was developed and simulated using Maxwell 3D to analyze the electric field. PVP and PVA polymers were electrospun simultaneously to create bipolymer nanofibers with an interface. The resulting nanofibers were compared with nanofibers made from pure PVA, PVP, and a PVA/PVP blend. The characterization of the nanofibers was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The SEM images showed the formation of PVA/PVP interfacial nanofibers aligned side by side, with a diameter of a few thousand nanometers on each side. By increasing the voltage from 20 kV to 40 kV during electrospinning, the diameter of the nanofibers on the PVA and PVP sides was successfully reduced by 60.8% and 66.3%, respectively. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of both PVA and PVP in the bipolymeric interfacial nanofibers. TGA analysis demonstrated a weight retention of 14.28% compared to PVA, PVP, and the PVA/PVP blend even after degradation at 500°C. The Maxwell simulation of double bubble electrospinning revealed a stronger and more uniform electric field pattern at 40 kV compared to 20 kV. The study has demonstrated the potential of double bubble electrospinning for the fabrication of bipolymer nanofibers with an interface, opening new avenues for the development of functional nanofibers.

Interaction of multiple jets in bubble electrospinning

The bubble electrospinningis a peerless technology for mass-production of various functional nanofibers. During the spinning process, multiple jets are ejected, which might be interacted with each other. The interaction might result in mass transfer, energy transfer and force in balance, all these factors will greatly affect the mechanical property and morphology of the resultant fibers. A theoretical model is established to study the two-jets combination during the spinning process, the mass conservation and momentum conservationare considered, and the combined fiber?s diameter and moving velocity are theoretically elucidated. The present theory analysis can be easily extended to multile jets interation.

The Maximal Wrinkle Angle During the Bubble Collapse and Its Application to the Bubble Electrospinning

Polymer bubbles are ubiquitously used for the fabrication of nanofibers by the bubble electrospinning. When a bubble is broken, the fragments tend to be wrinkled. The wrinkle angle plays an important in controlling the fiber morphology during the bubble electrospinning. This paper shows the maximal angle is about 49°, which is close to the experimental value of 50°. This maximal angle can be used for the optimal design of the nozzle in the bubble electrospinning for the fabrication of non-smooth nanofibers.

Effect of temperature on the bubble-electrospinning process and its hints for 3-D printing technology

The temperature will significantly affect the surface tension of a bubble. By suitable control of the inside and outside temperature of the spun bubble, the surface tension can be vanished entirely. This zero-tension phenomenon is extremely helpful in the bubble electrospinning process. An experiment is designed to study the effect of the inside and outside temperature on the nanofibers diameter, and the theoretical prediction agrees well with the experimental data. This paper sheds a bright light on controlling the spinning process by temperature and hinting at a new trend in the 3-D printing technology.

Preparation and properties of composite phase-change nanofiber membrane by improved bubble electrospinning

Bubble electrospinning technology can be used for mass production of nanofibers, it has been widely used in polymer electrospinning such as PVA, PVP and PAN, but there are no reports on the preparation of composite phase-change nanofibers by this method. In this paper, the transparent solution 1(PEG was put into formic acid according to the mass fraction of 60%) was mixed with the transparent solution 2 (PA66 was put into formic acid according to the mass fraction of 15%) according to the mass ratio of 15:85 , 25:75 , 35:65 and 45:55 to prepare four kinds of spinning solutions. And the pure PA66 nanofiber membrane(PNM) and PA66/PEG composite nanofiber membrane(PGCNM) were fabricated by the improved bubble electrospinning device on the basis of bubble electrospinning device invented by He Jihuan etc Also we analyzed their surface microstructure and tested their mechanical properties, thermal properties and molecular structure. The lower the content of PA66, the smaller the adhesion granular matter on the nanofiber surface and the thicker the diameter of the nanofiber, but the surface of the nanofiber is more smooth. The PGNCM appeared double absorption peak at 1515.5 cm−1 and 1642 cm−1 and existed weak absorption peak at 3298 cm−1 ∼ 3302 cm−1. The tensile strength and the elongation at break of the PGNCM was less than that of the PNM. The hot decomposition process of the PGNCM was composed the melting exothermic process of PEG and PA66. When the mixed ratio between PA66 and PEG was 15:85, the decomposition rate of residues between 210 ∼ 310 °C was the fastest.

Homotopy Perturbation Method for the Attachment Oscillator Arising in Nanotechnology

Bubble electrospinning is an effective method to produce nanofibers with different morphologies. Numerous polymer film fragments are formed from bursting bubbles, which elongate to nanofibers under high electrostatic voltage. In two polymers, bubble electrospinning film fragments of both polymers could interact due to the dominant surface-induced force named geometrical potential. Mathematical models are established to elaborate on the non-linear oscillators with singular terms. Parameter expansion technology used in the homotopy perturbation method can be useful for such kind of non-linear oscillators. In this paper, this technique is implemented to find the amplitude-frequency relationship of the attachment oscillator used in the molecular electrospinning process to produce nanofibers. The results depict the effectiveness of the method and show that the frequency obtained for duffing oscillator is highly accurate in exceptional cases.

Macromolecule’s Orientation in a Nanofiber by Bubble Electrospinning

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Batch Preparation of CuO/ZnO-Loaded Nanofiber Membranes for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes.

Composite nanofiber membranes (CNFMs) loaded with CuO/ZnO (CZCNFMs) have important applications in a series of organic and industrial catalytic reactions because of nanoeffects of the nanofibers and the peculiar performances of semiconductor oxides. In this work, CZCNFMs with different mass ratios of Cu to Zn were successfully fabricated in batches using modified bubble electrospinning (MBE), a heat treatment method, and a hydrothermal method. The influences of the mass ratio of Cu to Zn on the morphologies, structures, and properties of the CNFMs were studied, and the obtained CNFMs with different mass ratios of Cu to Zn were applied to the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB). The results showed that when the mass ratio of Cu to Zn was 5:5, the fabricated CNFM had better morphology, structure, and mechanical properties and had the best degradation effects on MO and MB. In addition, the principal active substances produced during the photodegradation of MO were defined by free radical capture experiments, and the influences of the pH value of the MO solution on the photocatalytic activity of the CNFMs with the optimal mass ratio of 5:5 were discussed.

Branched nanofibers for biodegradable facemasks by double bubble electrospinning

Abstract World health organization (WHO) data shows that air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. A nanofiber based biodegradable facemask can keep breath from smoke and other particles suspended in the air. In this study, we propose branched polymeric nanofibers as a biodegradable material for air filters and facemasks. Fibers have been elecrospun using double bubble electrospinning technique. Biodegradable polymers, PVA and PVP were used in our experiment. Two tubes, each filled with one of the polymers, were supplied with air from the bottom to form bubbles of polymer solutions. DC 35-40 kV was used to deposit the fibers on an aluminum foil. Results show that the combination of polymers under specific conditions produced branched fibers with average nanofibers diameter of 495nm. FT-IR results indicate the new trends in the graph of composite nanofibers.

Last Patents on Bubble Electrospinning.

Due to their unique properties, nanofibers have been widely used in various areas, for example, information industry, pharmaceutical application, environmental industry, textile and clothing, etc. Bubble electrospinning is one of the most important non-needle electrospinning methods for nanofiber fabrication. It usually uses polymer bubbles for the production of nanomaterials by using electrostatic force, flowing air or mechanical force to overcome the surface tension of bubbles. Bubble electrospinning mainly includes bubble electrospinning and blown bubble electrospinning. History of the development of bubble electrospinning is briefly introduced in this article, and the most promising patents on the technology are elucidated. The methods of bubble electrospinning are single bubble electrospinning, porous bubble electrospinning, blown bubble electrospinning, electrostatic-fieldassisted blown bubble spinning and others. These different bubble electrospinning methods are also discussed in this paper.

Bubble Electrospinning with an Auxiliary Electrode and an Auxiliary Air Flow.

The patented bubble electrospinning, which is a simple and effective technique for mass-production of polymer nanofibers, has been studying extensively, but it is still under development. In the bubble electrospinning, multiple jets move from the positive electrode to the receptor, a long distance between the two electrodes is needed to guarantee complete solvent evaporation, as a result a relative high voltage is needed. The aim of the present study is to use an auxiliary electrode and an auxiliary air flow to improve bubble electrospinning with lower voltage and higher output than those by its traditional one. The modification of the bubble electrospinning with an auxiliary electrode and an auxiliary airflow is used to fabricate nanofibers. The auxiliary electrode is close to the positive electrode. The experiment was carried out at room temperature with 8%PVA solution. The result was analyzed with a S4800 cold field scanning electron microscope (SEM, Hitachi S-4800, Tokyo, Japan). The auxiliary electrode can generate a strong induced electric field force. With the action of airflow, the jets will fly to the receptor instead of the auxiliary electrode. Both auxiliary electrode and auxiliary airflow are two important factors affecting the spinning process. It can reduce the spinning voltage and improve spinning efficiency.

Fascinated Nanofiber Yarns: From Experiment to Industrialization.

Bubble electrospinning patent has been commercially used for the massproduction of various nanofibers, but its application to the fabrication of nanofiber yarns is less studied. We assume that there is great potential in this direction. This paper focuses on bubble electrospinning with an emphasis on new technologies for the fabrication of fascinated nanofiber yarns by the bubble electrospinning. The paper begins with the mechanism of the bubble electrospinning to introduce how it produces fascinated nanofiber yarns experimentally, then the industrialization of fascinated nanofiber yarns is illustrated. The bubble electrospinning is extremely suitable for the fabrication of fascinated nanofiber yarns with a hierarchical structure, and the hierarchy can be designed biomimetically according to some natural fibers. This paper sheds light on both experimental study and industrial applications of fascinated nanofiber yarns.

Facile Preparation of WO3 Nanowires by Bubble-Electrospinning and their Photocatalytic Properties.

As a relatively novel and promising method, the bubble electrospinning is to fabricate continuous and uniform nanowires using an aerated polymer solution in an electric field. A large number of oxidized docking nanowires were established on a silicon substrate using the bubble electrospinning, and then using Tungsten Oxide Ammonium (AMT) as an appropriate calcined air with the WO3 sources. WO3 production can enhance its catalytic activity, stability, and can raise its rhodamine B degradation rate as well; the prospect of its wide application. The high aspect ratio of WO3 nanowires is successfully prepared by a lightweight bubble electrospinning technique using Polyoxyethylene (PEO) and Ammonium-Tungstate (AMT) as the WO3 precursor after annealing in air at 400, 450 and 500°C, respectively. The products were characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD, and TG analysis. This Paper reviews the related patents on bubble electrospinning and WO3 nanowires. The results were shown that the diameter of WO3 nanowires ranges from 2μm to 450nm, which varies with the calcination temperature. XRD diffraction and infrared spectroscopy showed that monoclinic crystals were prepared at different calcination temperatures (400, 450 and 500°C). In addition, the UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed that the fiber had a bandgap energy of 2.63 eV after calcination at 450oC, showing excellent photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Rh B at 245 nm. The preparation of WO3 nanowires by bubble electrospinning method is a feasible patented technology.

New Patent on Electrospinning for Increasing Rutin Loading in Nanofibers.

The electrospinning and the bubble electrospinning provide facile ways for the fabrication of functional nanofibers by incorporating rutin/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex (RT/HP-β-CD-IC) in Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA). Few patents on incorporation of rutin and cyclodextrin in nanofibers has been reported. The study aimed at increasing the loading amount of rutin in the electrospun nanofibers to obtain ultraviolet resistant property. Rutin was encapsulated in the cavity of RT/HP-β-CD and formed an inclusion complex. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) was used to verify the formation of inclusion complexes. The results showed that the inclusion between rutin and HP-β-CD had been successfully formed. The surface morphologies of nanofibrous membranes were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), which indicated that adding RT/HP-β-CD inclusion complexes had little influence on the morphologies and diameters of the fibers. Ultraviolet resistant results also confirmed the inclusion complex had increased the loading amount in the final nanofibrous mats, and thus had good ultraviolet resistant properties. The formed inclusion complexes had obviously enhanced the loading amount of rutin in electrospun PVA nanofibers, indicating that encapsulation of rutin in the cavity of HP-β-CD is a good way to increase the loading amount.

Bubble Electrospinning and Bubble-Spun Nanofibers

Electrospinning is a highly efficient technology for fabrication of a wide variety of polymeric nanofibers. However, the development of traditional needle-based electrospinning has been hampered by its low productivity and need of tedious work dealing with needles cleaning, installation and uninstallation. As one of the most promising needleless electrospinning means, bubble electrospinning is known for its advantages of high productivity and relatively low energy consumption due to the introduction of a third force, air flow, as a major force overcoming the surface tension. In this paper, the restrictions of conventional electrospinning and the advantages of needleless electrospinning, especially the bubble electrospinning were elaborated. Reports and patents on bubble-spun nanofibers with unique surface morphologies were also reviewed in respect of their potential applications.

Ac Bubble Electrospinning Technology for Preparation of Nanofibrous Mats.

This study deals with a new combination of alternating current (ac) electrospinning and bubble electrospinning. Research devoted to the combination of these two methods for the preparation of nanofibrous and microfibrous mats has been carried out. The design, construction, and description of bubble electrospinning are described in this article. The final morphologies of the fibrous layers produced by these methods have been compared with other well-known electrospinning methods. The bubble electrospinning and ac electrospinning aspire to become new technologies that could be utilized in various technical areas and tissue-engineering applications.

Innovation of Critical Bubble Electrospinning and Its Mechanism.

Along with the advent of an ever-increasing demand for the nano-industrialization, nanofibers become a unique class with many fascinating properties due to their nanoscale diameters and high surface area to volume ratio [...].

Preparation and Characterization of CuO/ZnO/PVDF/PAN Nanofiber Composites by Bubble-electrospinning.

Nanocomposites loaded with metal oxides, such as CuO and ZnO, have excellent optical, electrical, mechanical and chemical properties, which result in their great potential applications in optoelectronic devices, sensors, photocatalysts and other fields. Especially, electrospun metal- oxide-loaded nanofibers have attracted much attention in many fields. However, the single-needle Electrospinning (ES) inhibits the industrial application of these electrospun nanofiber composites. Bubble-Electrospinning (BE) is an effective free surface ES for mass production of nanofiber membranes loaded with metal oxide. Few relevant patents to the topic have been reviewed and introduced. The BE was used to prepare mass production of Cu(Ac)2 /Zn(Ac)2/ PVDF/ PAN Composite Nanofiber Membranes (CNFMs). Then PVDF/PAN CNFMs containing CuO and ZnO nanocrystals were obtained by heat-treatment. Finally, CuO nanosheets and ZnO nanorods were successfully grown on the surface of PVDF/PAN CNFMs using hydrothermal method. In addition, the morphology and crystal structure of CNFMs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Powder Diffractometer (XRD). The morphology and crystal structure of the samples were characterized by SEM and XRD. The results showed the heat treatment temperature of 150oC and the hydrothermal temperature of 150oC were the optimal process parameters for the fabrication of PVDF/PAN CNFMs loaded with CuO and ZnO nanocrystals, and a higher heat treatment temperature results in higher crystallinity of ZnO and CuO. CuO/ZnO/PVDF/PAN CNFMs were successfully prepared by a combination of BE, heattreatment and hydrothermal method. The ZnO/CuO beads obtained by heat treatment is the key point of growing ZnO/CuO nanocrystals, and the growth temperature has great effect on the morphology of ZnO/CuO nanocrystals.