Review of the Principles, Devices, Parameters, and Applications for Centrifugal Electrospinning

Abstract

Nanofibers have received extensive attention in the fields of biomedicine, energy catalysis, environmental sciences, and filtration owing to their high specific surface area and controllable porosity. Electrospinning and centrifugal spinning are the two most effective methods for fabricating nanofibers. However, the low preparation efficiency of electrospinning limits the use of that technology in the large-scale production of nanofibers. The morphology of nanofibers prepared by centrifugal spinning is slightly inferior to electrospinning. Centrifugal electrospinning has great industrial application potential. It is a new method for fabricating nanofibers formed by combining centrifugal and electrostatic forces. It can efficiently fabricate nanofibers with good alignment. In particular, the use of polymer melt as the spinning precursor for centrifugal electrospinning can effectively address the problem of solvent residue in the fiber. In this review, the working principle and device used for centrifugal electrospinning is introduced, the influence of different components of the spinning device on the spinning process is discussed, and the effects of spinning parameters on fiber properties are explained. Then, some applications of nanofibers fabricated are described by centrifugal electrospinning in various areas, including energy, biomedicine, and filtration. Finally, the challenges of centrifugal electrospinning are summarized, and a perspective on future research is provided.

Highly Aligned Centrifugal Spun Polyacrylonitrile Nanofibers Collected and Processed with Automated Tracks

“…Centrifugal spinning has superior yield potential compared with electrospinning as reflected in the literature. [4][5][6] In our own experiments, flow rates up to 30 mL min −1 were possible for centrifugal spinning of PAN nanofibers, while flow rates above ≈3 mL min −1 result in dripping and wasted solution when electrospinning PAN nanofibers. Well-aligned nanofibers have been collected using centrifugal spinning.…”

“…[3] Centrifugal spinning is among the highest throughput techniques available for the fabrication of polymer nanofibers. [4] Output rates have been reported to be multiple orders of magnitude higher than electrospinning at laboratory scale [5,6] and up to an order of magnitude higher in industrial setups. [4,6] However, the technology is severely limited by collection issues that hamper the fabrication of ordered fiber morphologies and the scalable production and postprocessing of such structures.…”

“…[4] Output rates have been reported to be multiple orders of magnitude higher than electrospinning at laboratory scale [5,6] and up to an order of magnitude higher in industrial setups. [4,6] However, the technology is severely limited by collection issues that hamper the fabrication of ordered fiber morphologies and the scalable production and postprocessing of such structures. Typically, aligned centrifugal spun nanofibers are formed circumferentially inside of static walls or posts, which results in a ring of fibers that becomes incrementally thicker as collection continues.…”

Effects of ultrasonic-assisted pH shift treatment on physicochemical properties of electrospinning nanofibers made from rapeseed protein isolates

“…Electrospinning NFs have the potential to be used for food preservative, enzyme immobilization, food packaging, and other fields [4] , which will bring huge economic benefits to the food industry. Many parameters, including processing parameters, liquid characteristics, and environmental factors can influence the structural morphology and diameter of the electrospinning NFs, thus further affecting the application of NFs [5] , [6] . Processing parameters mainly include applied voltage, liquid flow rate, and the distance between collector and spinneret.…”

Recent Advances in Physical Sensors Based on Electrospinning Technology

“…Researchers have continuously used electrospinning technology to develop special nanofibrous structures such as asymmetric Janus, hollow, porous, and core–shell structures. − Through the optimization of polymers and structural control, the electrospinning technology has been widely used in many fields, such as air or water filtration, − biomedical treatment, − energy storage materials, − and sensors. − Various types of functional nanoparticles can be effectively loaded into nanofibers to greatly enrich the construction materials of the sensing interface in sensors. Moreover, an electrospun nanofiber membrane has the characteristics of large specific surface area, high porosity, and rich contact points, which give it higher loading capacity and smaller sample volume than traditional materials and provide the possibility to prepare sensors with higher sensitivity and faster response time. − Applying electrospinning technology to the field of physical sensor research can not only demonstrate the superior performance of electrospun nanofiber materials but also open up broader prospects for the development of physical sensors.…”