Electro-static spinning

Introduction
Electrospinning shares characteristics of both electrospraying and conventional
solution dry spinning of fibers.
The process does not require the use of coagulation chemistry or high
temperatures to produce solid threads from solution. This makes the process
particularly suited to the production of fibers using large and complex molecules.
Electrospinning from molten precursors is also practised; this method ensures that
no solvent can be carried over into the final product.

Electrostatic spinning (electrospinning) is a novel process for forming ultrafine
polymer fibers. This process is based on the use of high voltages (ca. 10-20 kV) to
generate sufficient surface charge to overcome the surface tension in a pendant
drop of polymer fluid. This results in the ejection of a fluid jet that is drawn down
by acceleration towards a grounded collector.
The diameters of electrospun fibers are at least one order of magnitude smaller
than those made by conventional extrusion techniques, and the fibers are typically
deposited in the form of a nonwoven fabric.
Due to the small fiber diameters and the porous structure of nonwovens,
electrospun products possess a high surface-to volume ratio that renders them
attractive for a variety of applications, such as membranes, reinforcements in
composites and biodegradable nonwovens for biomedical applications.


History
In the late 16th century William Gilbert set out to describe the behavior of
magnetic and electrostatic phenomena.
The process of electrospinning was patented by J.F. Cooley in May 1900and
February 1902 and by W.J. Morton in July 1902. Electrospinning uses an
electrical charge to draw very fine (typically on the micro or nano
scale) fibres from a liquid.



Process
When a sufficiently high voltage is applied to a liquid droplet, the body of the liquid
becomes charged, and electrostatic repulsion counteracts the surface tension and
the droplet is stretched; at a critical point a stream of liquid erupts from the surface. This
point of eruption is known as the Taylor cone. If the molecular cohesion of the liquid is
sufficiently high, stream breakup does not occur (if it does, droplets are electrosprayed)
and a charged liquid jet is formed.
As the jet dries in flight, the mode of current flow changes from ohmic (standard
unit of electrical conduction) to convective as the charge migrates to the surface of the
fiber. The jet is then elongated by a whipping process caused by electrostatic repulsion
initiated at small bends in the fiber, until it is finally deposited on the grounded
collector. The elongation and thinning of the fiber resulting from this bending instability
leads to the formation of uniform fibers with nanometer-scale diameters.


How the distribution of charge in the fibre changes as the fibre dries during flight



Diagram showing fibre formation by electrospinning
Uses
The size of an electrospun fiber can be in the nano scale and the fibers may possess nano
scale surface texture, leading to different modes of interaction with other materials
compared with macroscale materials. In addition to this, the ultra-fine fibers produced by
electrospinning are expected to have two main properties, a very high surface to volume
ratio, and a relatively defect free structure at the molecular level. This first property
makes electrospun material suitable for activities requiring a high degree of physical
contact, such as providing sites for chemical reactions, or the capture of small sized
particulate material by physical entanglement filtration. The second property should
allow electrospun fibers to approach the theoretical maximum strength of the spun
material, opening up the possibility of making high mechanical performance composite
materials.
Filtration
Nanofibers have significant applications in the area of filtration since their surface area
is substantially greater and have smaller micropores than melt blown (MB) webs. High
porous structure with high surface area makes them ideally suited for many filtration
applications. Nanofibers are ideally suited for filtering submicron particles from air or
water.
Electrospun fibers have diameters three or more times smaller than that of MB
fibers. This leads to a corresponding increase in surface area and decrease in basis
weight. Nanofiber combined with other nonwoven products have potential uses in a wide
range of filtration applications such as aerosol filters, facemasks, and protective clothing.
At present, military fabrics under development designed for chemical and biological
protection have been enhanced by laminating a layer of nanofiber between the body side
layer and the carbon fibers.
e-Spin Technologies, Inc has produced a prototype of activated carbon nanofiber
web. PAN- based nanofibers were electrospun.
Electrospunnanofiber webs are used for very specialized filtration applications. Donaldson is
making and marketing filter media that incorporate electrospun nylon fibers for gas turbines,
compressor and generators. Electrospunnanofiber membranes are good candidates for these
applications.


Textile manufacturing
The majority of early patents for electrospinning were for textile applications, however
little woven fabric was actually produced, perhaps due to difficulties in handling the
barely visible fibers. However, electrospinning has the potential to produce seamless non-
woven garments by integrating advanced manufacturing with fiber electrospinning. This
would introduce multi-functionality (flame, chemical, environmental protection) by
blending fibers into electrospinlaced (using electrospinning to combine different fibers
and coatings to form three-dimensional shapes, such as clothing) layers in combination
with polymer coatings.
Medical
1. Artificial organ components
2. Tissue engineering. Living cells can be co-deposited with electrospun material.
3. Implant materials
4. Drug delivery
5. Wound dressing
6. Medical textile materials
7. Researchers at the University of Washington, funded in part by using a grant from
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are developing futuristic nanofabric
condoms that can be inserted into the vagina. There they will dissolve and
distribute preventive drugs, meaning they can act as a contraceptive while also
preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

Composites
Ultra-fine electrospun fibers show clear potential for the manufacture of long fiber
composite materials.

Figure :Nanofiber composite fabric

Application is limited by difficulties in making sufficient quantities of fiber to make
substantial large scale articles in a reasonable time scale. For this reason medical
applications requiring relatively small amounts of fiber are a popular area of application
for electrospun fiber reinforced materials.
Electrospinning is being investigated as a source of cost-effective, easy to
manufacture wound dressings, medical implants, and scaffolds for the production of
artificial human tissues. These scaffolds fulfill a similar purpose as the extracellular
matrix in natural tissue.
Catalysts
Electrospun fibers may have potential as a surface for enzymes to be immobilized on.
These enzymes could be used to break down toxic chemicals in the environment, among
other things.

Challenges In Nanofibers
The process of making nanofibers is quite expensive compared to conventional fibers due
to low production rate and high cost of technology. In addition the vapors emitting from
electrospinning solution while forming the web need to be recovered or disposed of in an
environmental friendly manner. This involves additional equipment and cost. The fineness of
fiber and evaporated vapor also raises much concern over possible health hazard due to
inhalation of fibers. Thus the challenges faced can be summarized as:
Economics
Health hazards
Solvent vapor
Packaging shipping handling
Because of its exceptional qualities there is an ongoing effort to strike a balance between the
advantages and the cost .





Assingment On Electro-Static Spinning








Submitted To:
Dr.Sandeep Bains







Submitted By:-
Garima Singh
I.D NO. L-2013-H.SC.-92-D