Self-powered Electrospinning Equipment And The Application Of New Electrospun Fibers

Electrospinning is a versatile and efficient method to fabricate continuous micro/nano fibrous constructs with high surface areas, large length-diameter ratio, and so on. Materials including polymer, metal, ceramics, and composites, etc. have been electrospun and their broad applications in physical, chemical and biological fields have been widely investigated. With the development of electrospinning, there are much more demands for the new electrospinning techniques and products. In this paper, based on electrospinning theory, a series of experiments have been carried out to study new electrospinning technique and their products in the following aspects:First of all, self-powered portable electrospinning apparatus was designed and manufactured by using a hand-operated Wimshurst machine to replace the usually used high-voltage power supply of the conventional electrospinning setup. The experimental parameters of the new apparatus have been investigated and optimized. Different polymer materials can be electrospun into submicron fibers by this new setup, which reveal that the new self-powered setup has good stability, reliability and repeatability. The setup maybe has potential applications in wound healing and rapid hemostasis because of its better applicability and portability.Secondly, transparent stretchable conductor has been fabricated on a prestretching elastomeric substrate. With the subsequent releasing the pre-stretched substrate, a spontaneous formation of periodic, curled structures based on aligned fibers were formed. Owning to the prestrain lies in the substrate, the maximum tensile degree of the conductor can be precisely controlled, which will protect the device as they ware in use. We found that the current has a good linear relationship with the applied voltage under different strains. And at the same time, it has good stability and repeatability.Finally, cationic dye colored PVB NFMs were fabricated by CSE process. The color measurements indicated that the prepared colorful NFMs shows good level-dyeing property and color stability, which promise CSE process is a useful and efficient way to prepare colorful NFMs for industrial application. Fiber diameters of the e-spun stained PVB/cationic dye NFMs are found to be decreased with dye doped and the increased dye concentration. Consequently, better level-dyeing property and hydrophobicity of the colorful PVB-based NFMs are obtained. The hydrophobic colored PVB NFMs may show potential applications on protecting clothes and anti-corrosion.