Study on the Melt Electrospinning Method with Internal Electrode and Fiber Refinement

Abstract

Melt electrospinning technology, as a green and efficient fiber manufacturing method, has shown great potential in various fields. However, the viscosity characteristics of the melt make fiber refinement challenging, which has become a major bottleneck for melt electrospinning technology. To further reduce fiber diameter and improve fiber efficiency, this study thoroughly analyzes the effects of melt temperature, auxiliary airflow, and nozzle structure on fiber properties. Additionally, a new melt differential electrospinning technology with an internal electrode structure is proposed. By introducing point electrodes, the electric field strength is enhanced, thus achieving both efficiency improvement and fiber refinement. Experimental results show that appropriately increasing the melt temperature can enhance both efficiency and fiber refinement. The fiber diameter significantly decreases with the increase of auxiliary airflow, although this method does not improve fiber efficiency. The internal electrode structure can increase the amount of fiber while refining the fiber diameter. The internal/external conical nozzle structures are suitable for efficiency improvement and fiber refinement, respectively.