Shear‐aided high‐throughput electrospinning: A needleless method with enhanced jet formation

In this article, we introduce a novel high productivity electrospinning setup for scaling up the classical method. We propose a new spinneret concept, which allows the shearing of the polymer solution prior to electrospinning. Most of the solutions used in electrospinning are shear-thinning, that is, as they are sheared, they show smaller resistance against the deformations caused by the electrostatic field. Therefore, enhanced Taylor-cone formation can be achieved, and it also gives a hand in controlling the nanofiber morphology easily, even during operation. In this study, we investigated the influence of shearing on the electrospinning process and the fiber morphology. When shearing was applied by rotation, the operation became more stable and the fiber morphology improved. Multiple jets were observed along the circular edges of the spinneret, also became thinner as an effect of the shearing rotation. The average diameter of the electrospun nanofibers was decreased by 18% with rotation speed applied, compared to those of the nonrotating condition (0 rpm). Besides that, we found that the electrospun nanofiber diameter distribution was significantly different for the various rotation speeds for which we found an applicable explanation with the aid of high-speed camera recordings.