Numerical Simulation of Viscous Jet for Near-Field Electrospinning

Near-Field Electrospinning (NITS) is a newly developed method to fabricate continuous and ordered solid nanofibers, with smaller spinneret-to-collector-distance the behavior of viscous jet would play a more prominent effect on the deposition and morphology of nanofiber. In this paper, a 2-dimentional physical model based on electrohydrodynamics and rheology was set LIP to discuss the morphology of viscous jet for NFES. The profile of the jet along z direction can be predicted by this model, and the impact of process parameters on the jet radius is analyzed. Radius of jet decreases with spinneret-to-substrate-distance decreasing;jet radius decreases with applied voltage and electric field strength increasing; jet electrospun from PEO solution is thinner than that from PVA Solution with the same Solution concentration; solution concentration has insignificant influence on the radius of jet from solution of the same polymer (PVA or PEO). This numerical simulation Would improve the control of electrospinning process in NFES.