Charge consequences in electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers

During the last 10 years extensive research has been conducted on various aspects of electrospinning. These efforts include spinning many different polymer and solvent pairs, varying fiber forming conditions, fiber characterization and process modeling. In this work we explore some issues related to charging of the polymer solution, namely charge quantification of electrospun fibers and different charge delivery designs. PAN fibers electrospun in our laboratory show a charge density of 30–50 nC/mg. The charge density varied with applied voltage and solution properties. Theoretical charge density calculations agree well with experimental measurements. Different charging approaches, such as positive or negative induction charging and ionized field charging, all led to fine fiber formation.