Focused Patterning of Electrospun Nanofibers Using a Dielectric Guide Structure

Abstract

The patterning of electrospun fibers is a key technology applicable to various fields. This study reports a novel focused patterning method for electrospun nanofibers that uses a cylindrical dielectric guide. The finite elements method (FEM) was used to analyze the electric field focusing phenomenon and ground its explanation in established theory. The horizontal and vertical electric field strengths in the simulation are shown to be key factors in determining the spatial distribution of nanofibers. The experimental results demonstrate a relationship between the size of the cylindrical dielectric guide and that of the electrospun area accumulated in the collector. By concentrating the electric field, we were able to fabricate a pattern of less than 6 mm. The demonstration of continuous line and square patterning shows that the electrospun area can be well controlled. This novel patterning method can be used in a variety of applications, such as sensors, biomedical devices, batteries, and composites.

Direct Fabrication of Functional Shapes on 3D Surfaces Using Electrospinning

“…Use of dielectric materials for gap collectors has also facilitated control of the electric field profile. Yan et al demonstrated that the relative permittivity of the collector was a key factor in controlling fiber deposition [ 13 ] and aligned fibers were achieved [ 14 ]. Liquid collectors have also been used to align fibers [ 14 ].…”

Electrospun Hybrid Films for Fast and Convenient Delivery of Active Herb Extracts

“…Polymer-based medicated films can be presented in the form of round or concave particles, sheets, beads-on-a-string, dumbbells, tadpoles, rods and also linear fiber films [41][42][43][44][45][46][47]. Among these morphologies, nanofibers are a special one due to their one-dimensional format, i.e., diameter at a nano scale but with a size of length at macro scale [48][49][50][51][52][53][54].…”