Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
Nanoscale. 2011 Aug;3(8):3300-8. doi: 10.1039/c1nr10033e. Epub 2011 Jun 29.
An atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe is successfully utilized as an electrospinning tip for fabricating Nylon-6 nanofibers. The nanometre-size tip enabled controlled deposition of uniform polymeric nanofibers within a 1 cm diameter area. Nylon-6 nanofibers were continuously electrospun at a solution concentration as low as 1 wt% Nylon-6 in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP). Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results of the AFM electrospun fibers indicated that the nanofibers predominantly display the meta-stable γ crystalline form suggesting rapid crystallization rate during the process. In addition to precise control over fiber deposition and diameter, some of the drawbacks of conventional electrospinning such as large volume of solutions and clogging of needles can be overcome using this AFM based electrospinning technique. Lastly, a comparison of electrospun fibers from syringe-needle based electrospinning and AFM probe-tip based electrospinning indicated significant morphological and microstructural differences in the case of AFM based electrospinning.
原子力显微镜（AFM）探针成功用作静电纺丝尖端，用于制造尼龙-6 纳米纤维。纳米级尖端能够在 1 厘米直径的区域内控制均匀的聚合物纳米纤维的沉积。尼龙-6 纳米纤维在 1,1,1,3,3,3-六氟-2-丙醇（HFIP）中浓度低至 1wt%尼龙-6 的溶液中连续静电纺丝。AFM 静电纺纤维的广角 X 射线衍射（WAXD）和差示扫描量热法（DSC）结果表明，纳米纤维主要显示亚稳γ晶型，表明在该过程中具有快速结晶速率。除了能够精确控制纤维沉积和直径外，使用这种基于 AFM 的静电纺丝技术还可以克服传统静电纺丝的一些缺点，例如大量溶液和针堵塞。最后，对基于注射器-针头的静电纺丝和基于 AFM 探针尖端的静电纺丝的纺丝纤维进行比较，表明在基于 AFM 的静电纺丝的情况下，形态和微观结构存在显著差异。
