Rezaei Farnaz, Carlsson Daniel O, Dahlstrom Jimmy Hedin, Lindh Jonas, Johansson Stefan
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Uppsala University, 75105, Uppsala, Sweden.
Cytiva, Björkgatan 30, 753 23, Uppsala, Sweden.
Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 12;14(1):27638. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-78526-9.
Electrospinning is a technique used to fabricate polymer fibers in micro- and nanoscales. Due to the large distance between the nozzle and collector, there is a limited positioning accuracy of electrospun fibers. To enhance the possibility of fabricating structures with micrometer placement, an electroprinting technique has been developed. By reducing the distance between the nozzle and the collector it is demonstrated that it is possible to get an improved control over fiber positioning which gives a possibility to fabricate designed 3D structures at the micron scale. In this study, cellulose acetate (CA) has been selected as a biomaterial to advance the 3D printing of membranes with possible use in separation applications. Various parameters, such as CA concentration and molecular weight, printing speed, printing pattern, applied voltage, etc. are evaluated with respect to printing control. Results indicate that by optimizing the printing parameters it is possible to print structures with inter- fiber distances down to 3 µm and fiber diameters at a sub-µm scale. This electroprinting development is promising for the fabrication of customized separation membranes. However, printing speed still remains a challenge.
静电纺丝是一种用于制造微米级和纳米级聚合物纤维的技术。由于喷嘴与收集器之间的距离较大，静电纺丝纤维的定位精度有限。为了提高制造具有微米级放置结构的可能性，人们开发了一种电印刷技术。通过减小喷嘴与收集器之间的距离，结果表明可以更好地控制纤维定位，从而有可能在微米尺度上制造出设计好的三维结构。在本研究中，选择醋酸纤维素（CA）作为生物材料，以推进可能用于分离应用的膜的三维打印。针对打印控制，对各种参数进行了评估，如CA浓度和分子量、打印速度、打印图案、施加电压等。结果表明，通过优化打印参数，可以打印出纤维间距低至3微米且纤维直径处于亚微米级的结构。这种电印刷技术的发展对于定制分离膜的制造很有前景。然而，打印速度仍然是一个挑战。
