Stable jet electrospinning (SJES) is a recently emerged approach of creating well-aligned ultrafine fibers in a straightforward manner, whereby the characteristic bending instability of the electrospinning is eliminated or suppressed such that only a stable fiber jet in a length up to tens of centimeter is generated in the process. While SJES could be performed by introducing an auxiliary electrode in electrospinning setup (Macromolecules 2008,  41(14): 5345-5349), by using lower and more uniform electrical fields(J. Appl. Polym. Sci.2012,  125(3): 2433-2441), or by use of solvents with low dielectric constants and high purity (J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2012,  125(4): 2585-2594), the strategy used by our team is through formulating the viscoelasticity of a spinning dope with an ultrahigh molecular weight poly (ethylene oxide) (Biomacromolecules 2008,  9 (1): 136-141; J. Mater. Chem.2012,  22(37): 19634-19638). This allowed us for readily collecting and fabricating individual fibers, multi-filament yarns, well-aligned unidirectional fiber arrays in a large area, and ordered fiber patterns and 3-D fiber structures by controlling fiber placement. Moreover, our SJES approach has been proved to be effective in preparing functionalized polymeric fiber arrays, such as the graphene-incorporated porous fibers and different biomacromolecules-functionalized poly (L-lactic acid) fibers with core-sheath structure. In view of the great potential of electrospun fibers for biomedical applications, we expect that SJES would offer significant possibilities in making biomimetic scaffolds for engineering those anisotropic dense connective tissues (e.g., tendon, ligament, nerve) as well as for other industrial uses where fiber fineness, alignment, mechanical performance, and functionalization are the major issues to be considered. This presentation aims to provide a brief review on recent advances in fabrication and application of aligned ultrafine fibers and fiber assemblies by SJES.

Stable jet electrospinning

247th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.