Electrospinning of Polymer Nanofibers

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9813098 Dzenis This proposal is to conduct a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of the electrospinning of polymer nanofibers by a splaying of a charged jet as a mechanism to produce nanofibers. The intent is to improve fundamental understanding of the splaying process so that it can be controlled and used for various industrial applications. Modeling of the steady state motion of the dielectric and conductive jets will be continued, with Newtonian and non-Newtonian viscous polymer fluids considered. An electrohydrodynamic model of splaying will be developed based on stability analysis of the steady-sate solution for a single jet. The self-replicating splaying jet will be described by the multiple application of the model at consecutively decreasing scales. Experimental verification of the existence of a supercritical regime will be attempted. Since splaying is unique for the electrospinning of polymers, it provides a mechanism that produces polymer nanofibers in a short distance, as opposed to a mere stretching of a single jet. High volumes of these nanofibers can be produced in this manner. There is collaboration with the biomedical materials industry and with NIST.