Hao Qiangjun, Schossig John, Davide Tyler, Towolawi Adedayo, Zhang Cheng, Lu Ping
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States.
Chemistry Department, Long Island University (Post), Brookville, New York 11548, United States.
ACS Sustain Chem Eng. 2024 Dec 19;13(1):507-517. doi: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c08259. eCollection 2025 Jan 13.
Ethyl cellulose (EC) is a biocompatible, renewable, and recyclable material with diverse sources, making it an attractive candidate for industrial applications. Electrospinning has gained significant attention for the production of EC fibers. However, conventional electrospinning methods face challenges such as bead formation, low yield, and the absence of porous internal structures, limiting both the functional performance and scalability. This study presents an optimized approach for producing EC fibers by using a gravity-driven ultrahigh-speed electrospinning (GUHS-ES) system. This system leverages gravity to reshape the Taylor cone morphology during electrospinning, enhancing stability and dramatically increasing throughput. As flow rates increase, the Taylor cone contracts inward, while the tip structure expands and stabilizes, reaching maximum size at ultrahigh flow rates (100-150 mL/h). This unique Taylor cone structure enables a fiber production rate of 24.5 g/h, hundreds of times greater than conventional electrospinning techniques. Another advantage of the GUHS-ES system is its ability to achieve both high diameter uniformity and adjustable porosity. At ultrahigh flow rates, the pore sizes of the EC fibers reached 321 nm. The highly porous structure of EC fibers exhibited an absorption capacity of 56.6 to 110.7 times their weight, exceeding most previously reported oil-absorbing materials and demonstrating high efficacy for rapid waste oil absorption. This green, efficient technology represents a promising advancement for the large-scale production and application of natural polymer fibers with broad implications for sustainable industrial processes.
乙基纤维素（EC）是一种具有生物相容性、可再生且可回收的材料，来源多样，使其成为工业应用中颇具吸引力的候选材料。静电纺丝在EC纤维生产方面受到了广泛关注。然而，传统的静电纺丝方法面临诸如珠粒形成、产量低以及缺乏多孔内部结构等挑战，这限制了其功能性能和可扩展性。本研究提出了一种通过使用重力驱动的超高速静电纺丝（GUHS - ES）系统来生产EC纤维的优化方法。该系统利用重力在静电纺丝过程中重塑泰勒锥形态，增强稳定性并显著提高产量。随着流速增加，泰勒锥向内收缩，而尖端结构扩展并稳定，在超高速流速（100 - 150 mL/h）下达到最大尺寸。这种独特的泰勒锥结构使纤维生产速率达到24.5 g/h，比传统静电纺丝技术高出数百倍。GUHS - ES系统的另一个优点是能够实现高直径均匀性和可调节的孔隙率。在超高速流速下，EC纤维的孔径达到321 nm。EC纤维的高度多孔结构表现出其重量56.6至110.7倍的吸收能力，超过了大多数先前报道的吸油材料，并证明了其对快速吸收废油的高效性。这种绿色、高效的技术代表了天然聚合物纤维大规模生产和应用的一项有前景的进展，对可持续工业过程具有广泛的意义。
