Electrospinning with various machine configurations is being used to produce polymer nanofibers with different rates of output. The use of polymers with high viscosity and the encapsulation of nanoparticles for achieving functionalities are some of the limitations of the existing methods. A profiled multi-pin electrospinning (PMES) setup is demonstrated in this work that overcomes the limitations in the needle and needleless electrospinning like needle clogging, particle settling, and uncontrolled/uneven Taylor cone formation, the requirement of very high voltage and uncontrolled distribution of nanoparticles in nanofibers. The key feature of the current setup is the use of profiled pin arrangement that aids in the formation of spherical shape polymer droplet and hence ensures uniform Taylor cone formation throughout the fiber production process. With a 10 wt% of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) polymer solution and at an applied voltage of 30 kV, the production rate was observed as 1.690 g/h and average fiber diameter obtained was 160.5 ± 48.9 nm for PVA and 124.9 ± 49.8 nm for Cellulose acetate (CA) respectively. Moreover, the setup also provides the added advantage of using high viscosity polymer solutions in electrospinning. This approach is expected to increase the range of multifunctional electrospun nanofiber applications.
In this work, a moisture management cotton fabric developed by electrospraying a hydrophobic polymer on the inner surface (close to the skin) of the fabric was investigated. The Janus sheet architecture, that is, one surface ultra-hydrophobic and the other hydrophilic, was obtained in a 100% cotton fabric that is otherwise hydrophilic on both surfaces. The generation of nano-scale surface roughness by electrospraying fluorocarbon resulted in ultra-hydrophobicity (contact angle more than 140 degrees) on the inner surface of the cotton fabric while retaining hydrophilicity (contact angle less than 90 degrees) on the outer surface, thereby imparting the moisture management feature due to one directional water/sweat transport. The overall (liquid) moisture management capability of the cotton fabric could be significantly improved from 2.5 to 4.0, on the scale of 5. The fairly uniform distribution of fluorocarbon as electrosprayed particles on the inner surface of the cotton fabric was revealed by scanning electron microscopy and confirmed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The developed protocol is eco-friendly and commercially scalable owing to its minimum chemical usage and zero effluent discharge.
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