Electrospinning & Electrospraying capabilities
Electrospinning & Spraying
Our analytical services laboratory houses multiple electrospinning and electrospraying equipment capable of a range of throughputs, from a single needle to over 100 needles. These instruments can be equipped with a variety of collectors: flat plates, rotating drums, discs, mandrels, and roll-to-roll collectors. This enables the fabrication of electrospun samples of various shapes and sizes. Different structures like single-phase, core-shell, multi-axial, dual solutions, blended polymer solutions, specific fiber orientation, and porosity for desired scaffolding can be fabricated under controlled temperature and relative humidity conditions. Our scientists have the expertise to develop processes to electrospin and electrospray a range of polymers, and other materials, in different solvents.
R&D to Pilot-scale Nanofiber Production
Our instrumentation allows for single-needle R&D and can scale upwards by adding needles in various configurations to over 100 needles in use simultaneously for pilot production. Our electrospinning/electrospraying equipment allows the tight control of temperature, relative humidity, and airflow, along with globally recording all processing parameters to allow for batch-to-batch production which can then translate to cGMP and ISO certified manufacturing. With over 20 accessories that are implemented in our electrospinning/electrospraying units, we can take on very complex and difficult projects that require the processing of multiple components, more than one material with independent voltages, and even non-symmetrical structures that are required for advanced applications.
Standard Capabilities
Sample type
- We can create electrospun fibers with diameters ranging from the nm to µm scale based on customer needs.
- Electrosprayed particles can also be generated.
- Complex structures with a mix of two types of fibers or particles (processed with independent voltages) or a combination of fibers and particles can be processed simultaneously.
- Samples from one solution (single-phase) or two simultaneous solutions at the same voltage (coaxial or core-shell) can be fabricated
Sample size:
- Depends on the collector mechanism. Sheets can be up to 50cm wide by >50m long utilizing the roll-to-roll accessory.
- Cylindrical hollow structures, commonly used for artificial blood vessels, can be made up to 40 cm in length.
- Aligned or randomly oriented fibers with a sample area of 30 cm x 62 cm can also be generated.
Additional options
Collector Options:
- Flat plate collector to create sheets
- Rotating drum to create large sheets of randomly oriented fibers with controlled pore size or aligned fibers with a specific degree of orientation can be generated
- Mandrel to obtain cylindrical hollow-shaped structures
- Roll-to-roll to collect sheets over 50 meters long
Needle Capacity:
Utilizing needle-based electrospinning keeps the starting polymer solution in an air-tight closed reservoir to minimize and prevent solvent evaporation ensuring consistent fibers or particle production. The needle-based electrospinning method increases control over morphology and reproducibility for constant long-term production.
- Single needle up to 120 needles simultaneously. Utilizing multiple pumps and emitters, different solutions can be used simultaneously.
- A recipe developed in our equipment can be scaled up to industrial production where the sample size can be 1.6 meters x roll capacity and is generated with over 5,000 needles.
Our electrospinning/electrospraying equipment is also capable to process a solution with a needle-less injector called a Slit Injector. An advantage our equipment offers with this type of needle-less capacity is that the solution will be contained in a reservoir and the solvent will not evaporate over time like other technologies. This will maintain the concentration constant over time, while also knowing the exact flow rate operated with this technology.
Environmental Options:
Environmental conditions are critical to obtain reproducible nanofiber production. The reason behind this is because the solution contains a solvent that has a specific boiling point and vapor pressure that will be affected by temperature and relative humidity. The systems we utilize tightly control temperature and relative humidity to make the process development and scale-up more seamless.
- Temperature range: 18 – 45 °C
- Relative Humidity: 10 – 80%
If your solution processing requires a specific set of temperature and relative humidity within the previous range, we will be able to process your sample independently of the time of the year and season. This guarantees that your product will always be consistent between batch production. This system has allowed our customers to go towards cGMP certification and even FDA clearance as their production is always consistent.
Batch-to-batch reproducibility
- The solution is fully characterized (viscosity, conductivity, surface tension, and solids content) to ensure consistent results even before sample processing
- We tightly control temperature and relative humidity during sample development to obtain reproducible results
Post Processing Techniques
Thermal Treatments
- Vacuum-assisted drying for removal of residual solvents
- Annealing up to 1000 °C in an atmosphere-controlled chamber
Typical Analysis Post-synthesis
Scanning Electron Microscopy
- Fiber morphology analysis including fiber diameter statistics and orientation analysis
- Pore size and distribution
- Particle size and distribution (for electrosprayed particles)
- Cross-sectional analysis (via freeze fracturing or ion milling)
- Stitched images to cover a large portion of the sample microstructure can also be generated
- EDS analysis can offer a full knowledge on your sample composition if it contains any additives besides carbon
Bulk Porosity
- Gas-liquid porometer based on pressure scan method for through-pore measurement
Wettability
- Contact angle measurements to determine the wettability of fiber mats or individual fibers
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