Mechanism of Nanofibre Fabrication by Meltblowing

Abstract

Fabrication of nanofibres has become a growing area of research because of their unique properties (i.e. smaller fibre diameter and higher surface area) and potential applications in various fields such as filtration, composites and biomedical applications. The mechanism of nanofibre fabrication by meltblowing process with the injection of different fluids (such as air and water) has been investigated in this paper. In the meltblowing equipment the fluids were injected at a vent port along the extrusion barrel, for the fabrication of nanofibres. The injection of water resulted in better fibre morphology compared to the injection of air. Nanofibres were fabricated by the drafting action of the high-velocity flow of the heated air and the steam in the extruder. The fibres collected were straight prior to the fluid injection and coiled fibres were collected with the injection of fluids. Three types of fibres such as ribbon shaped, fused and branched fibres were obtained in addition to the circular fibres.