Arced Multi-Nozzle Electrospinning Spinneret for High-Throughput Production of Nanofibers

Abstract

The stable and continuous ejection of multiple jets with high densities is the key to the application of electrospinning technology. An arced multi-nozzle spinneret was designed to increase the production efficiency of electrospinning. The distribution of the electrical field was simulated to optimize the nozzles’ distribution of the spinneret. When the nozzles were arranged in an arc array, a relatively uniform electrical field could be obtained, which was beneficial for the weakening of electrical interference among the nozzles. Under the optimized electrical field, multiple jets from each nozzle could be ejected in a stable and continuous way. With the increase of the applied voltage, the electrical stretching force became larger, and there were fewer bonding structures. The average diameter of the electrospun nanofibers decreased with the increase of the applied voltage. When the distance between the inner nozzle and the collector increased, the charged jets suffered a larger stretching effect, resulting in the decrease of the average diameter of the electrospun nanofibers. The electrospinning current increased with the applied voltage and decreased with the distance between the inner nozzle and the collector, which is an important aspect for the monitoring of electrospinning jets. This work provides an effective way to promote the production efficiency of electrospun nanofibrous membranes.