Solution Blow Spinning to Prepare Preferred Oriented Poly(ethylene oxide) Submicrometric Fibers

Abstract

In this work, materials with potential biomedical applications constituted by fibrous poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, are prepared by solution blow spinning (SBS). The SBS setup has a cylindrical collector for which the rotational speed and size are varied to study its effect on the final morphology of the materials. The morphology is inspected using field emission scanning electron microscopy and studied using image analysis. As a result, many doubts were generated because of the use of different methods of image analysis, therefore a simpler and more conventional method using Image J open-source software was used to ensure the accuracy of the final interpretation. It is shown that fiber size and orientation depend on the linear speed associated with the surface of the collector more than on its rotational speed; therefore, it can be said that the morphology of materials prepared by SBS will depend on the size, shape, and rotational speed of the collector. When the linear speed of the cylindrical collector increases, fibers get thinner, less entangled, and more oriented. It is clear, therefore, that the linear speed of material collection by solution blow spinning is a very important parameter of processing to control the final morphology of materials manufactured by that method. Since morphology can affect the final properties of the materials the simple variation of the linear speed might have important implications on their final performance for different biomedical applications.

Effect of Collector Rotational Speed on the Morphology and Structure of Solution Blow Spun Polylactic Acid (PLA)

“…When the SBS device is working, the nozzle is continuously moving following a perpendicular direction to that of the collector rotation. For this reason, when the nozzle is moving to one side, it is expected to have a preferred orientation of the fibers while, when it is moving to the other side it is expected to have another preferred orientation for them [ 29 ]. Therefore, one would expect that the difference between two preferred orientations were lower as the higher rotational speed is used because each time the fibers collection should be more controlled by the collector rotation.…”

Characterization of Blow-Spun Polyurethane Scaffolds–Influence of Fiber Alignment and Fiber Diameter on Pericyte Growth

“…The rotation speed of the collector is one of the SBS process parameters that affects fiber morphology. According to literature, uniformly arranged fibers are acquired in the SBS process by increasing the rotation speed of the collector. ,, In our previous study, we evaluated the influence of the polymer solution concentration, compressed gas pressure, and polymer solution flow rate on the fiber diameter and number of defects on the scaffold surface . Here, we investigated the impact of the rotation speed of the collector on the PU fiber alignment with respect to the fiber diameter.…”

“…According to literature, uniformly arranged fibers are acquired in the SBS process by increasing the rotation speed of the collector. 33,42,43 In our previous study, we evaluated the influence of the polymer solution concentration, compressed gas pressure, and polymer solution flow rate on the fiber diameter and number of defects on the scaffold surface. 32 For materials with an average fiber diameter of 1000 nm stretched in a along direction, a significant reduction in Young's modulus value was observed for samples with nonaligned fibers in comparison to aligned (p ≤ 0.001); Samples elongation at break values were greater for more elastic materials (lower YM values), however, there were no meaningful differences regardless of stretching direction, fiber diameter, or alignment.…”

Non-Woven Fibrous Polylactic Acid/Hydroxyapatite Nanocomposites Obtained via Solution Blow Spinning: Morphology, Thermal and Mechanical Behavior

“…Once the first droplet of polymer solution is formed at the tip of the inner nozzle, it is stretched by pressurized air, which helps solvent evaporation and may induce fiber formation if adequate processing conditions are used. Finally, the material is deposited on a collector located at a certain distance (working distance) from the nozzle [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Despite challenges and potential limitations, such as fiber alignment or orientation [ 36 ], the simplicity, fast processing, and versatility of SBS make it an attractive choice for nanofiber scaffold fabrication in various applications.…”

“…Finally, the material is deposited on a collector located at a certain distance (working distance) from the nozzle [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Despite challenges and potential limitations, such as fiber alignment or orientation [ 36 ], the simplicity, fast processing, and versatility of SBS make it an attractive choice for nanofiber scaffold fabrication in various applications. Although further research is still needed to explore the influence of SBS parameters on the final material structure, these advantages position SBS as a promising method for achieving controlled material properties in nanocomposites.…”