3D nanofibrous structures
(Setup and Concepts)

In a typical electrospinning setup comprising of a spinning nozzle and a flat plate and a grounded flat plate, the resultant fibrous structure is a nonwoven membrane. While such form is useful in many applications, it is not suitable for applications where a block structure is required. In electrospinning of most solutions, there is a limit which the thickness of the membrane can reach due to the accumulation of electrical charges on the deposited membrane. Ueki et al (2016) found that the membrane thickness increases linearly with deposition time up to a thickness of 100 µm and a duration of 4 minutes. After which it is not possible to get uniform polystyrene (PS) fiber fabric due to charge accumulation.

Electrospinning has gone beyond construction of membranes. There are now many methods developed to construct 3D structures either directly or from post spinning assembly. Depending on the requirements of the application, there are different forms of 3D nanofibrous structure and construction methods available for it.