Dual-Electrode Melt Differential Electrospinning

Abstract

Melt differential electrospinning technology, as a green and efficient fiber fabrication method, is characterized by its ability to simultaneously generate tens–hundreds of fiber jets from a single nozzle. However, due to the limitation that the fiber diameter produced by traditional techniques is generally too large, it restricts the application of melt electrospun fibers in high-end technologies. Recently, a new dual-electrode structure melt differential electrospinning technology has been proposed. This technology utilizes the principle of dual-electric field superposition, introducing an upper electrode in the experiment to form a second electric field, and treats voltage, electrode spacing, and other factors as adjustable parameters. The study reveals the influence rules of different dual-electrode structures on fiber quantity, diameter, and distribution range. The experimental results show that the dual-electrode structure can enhance the strength of the electric field at the nozzle tip. When the sum of the upper and lower electrode voltages remains constant and varies within a certain range, low voltage in the dual-electrode structure can increase fiber quantity and reduce fiber diameter. With the increase of the upper electrode voltage, the distribution range of fibers can be significantly expanded. As the spinning distance increases, the effect of the dual-electrode structure on increasing fiber quantity and reducing fiber diameter becomes more pronounced.