Principle, Method, And Equipmet Of Melt Differential Electrospinning

Melt electrospinning technology is one important branch of electrospinning, which avoids the defects caused by the use of solvents, such as low efficiency, low intensity, and potential environmental pollution. More important, since it can process some undissolved thermoplastics including PP, PE and PPS, it may become one of the future leading methods for green and mass manufacturing of micro/nano fibers. However, melt electrospinning technology was restricted by traditional spinning principle, process, and devices, which limited its further research and applications, and slowed the industrialization progress as well. On this basis, some new ideas should be carried out to break the bottleneck of melt electrospinning in principle and process and to further refine the resultant fiber in the aim of improve the process efficiency and stability. This work will provide new connotation for electrospinning technology and promote the new material manufacturing progress of china.In this paper, the progress of electropsinning was reviewed, and the history and progress of melt electrospinning were focused and analyzed, through which, the principle bottleneck and technical problems were revealed. And then a new principle of melt electrospinning was shown: melt differential electrospinning.First, principle of melt differential electrospinning was analyzed and a theoretical formula of interjet distance was deduced based on Taylor cone characters and wave model of multi-Taylor-cones. The interjet distance was also experimentally researched at different spinning parameters. A comparison between the theoretical result and experimental value of interjet distance indicated they were close. This research could reveal how the process parameters control the interjet distance.Then the effect of process parameters including electric field, material viscosity, flow rate, and assisting air flow, on the produced fiber diameter and morphologies was researched experimentally. Theoretical formulas were also deduced to calculate the jet velocity and jet diameter by analyzing a micro element model under loading forces on the jet.Next, the designing and analyze of melt differential electrospinning devices with one, four, and thirty-two nozzles was performed. The key factors and rules in designing were concluded.At last, some new applications based on melt differential electropsun fibers were developed and tested, including the PP composite paper, high efficiency air filter, and high performance spill-oil sorbent.In conclusion, this study proposed a melt differential electrospinning principle based on a concept of differential and integral method applied in advanced manufacture of polymer materials. And its principle, process, and devices designing, and applications were systematically studied. This work may expand the concept of electrospinning technology and give some guiding notices for the green manufacturing of ultra-fine fibers.