Droplets

Pros:

• Easy maintenance
• No clogged orifices
• High volume output

Cons:

• High voltage input required
• Relatively more expensive equipment required.
• Fibers are non-continuous.

The droplet method involved passing a droplet of solution in the air through an electric field. As the solution droplet falls through the electric field, it gets electrified and elongates to from a strand of fiber. Ejecting multiple droplets into the field will give rise to numerous strands of fibers. This has been used successfully in making the Petryanov filter [Filatov et al 2007].

Schematic of the phases as a solution droplet falls through an electric field.

The video below demonstrate an electrospraying concept that is similar to the concept mentioned above. If the concentration of the solution droplet is sufficiently high, it may stretch into fiber instead of breaking up into smaller droplets as shown in the video.

There are a few methods of dispensing solutions in the form of droplets into an electric field. Air jet may be used to blow the solution off the tip of the spinneret and into the electric field[Filatov et al 2007]. A rotating head may also be used to force solution off its edges in an electric field for jet initiation [Angammana et al 2012].

Combining centrifugal effect of spinning solution off a disk and electrospinning [Author's impression of setup]

 

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