High throughput tip-less electrospinning via a circular cylindrical electrode.

High throughput production of nanofibers by means of "Tip-less Electrospinning" (TLES) has been demonstrated using a circular cylinder as the emitting electrode. Electrohydrodynamics instabilities on a thin liquid film under high electrical field can generate artificial liquid jets for the TLES process. Experimental results have shown that the yield of poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers can be more than 260 times in weight as compared with a single-jet electrospinning process. Parameters affecting the TLES process including applied voltage, polymer solution concentration, electrode-to-substrate distance and the thickness of liquid films have been characterized. As such, TLES has potential for high-throughput, massive production of electrospun nanofibers.