Electrohydrodynamic quenching in polymer melt electrospinning

Infrared thermal measurements on polymer melt jets in electrospinning have revealed rapid quenching by ambient air, an order of magnitude faster than predicted by the classical Kase and Matsuo correlation. This drastic heat transfer enhancement can be linked to electrohydrodynamic (EHD) effects. Analysis of EHD-driven air flow was performed and included into a comprehensive model for polymer melt electrospinning. The analysis was validated by excellent agreement of both predicted jet radius and temperature profiles with experimental results for electrospinning of Nylon-6 (N6), polypropylene (PP), and polylactic acid (PLA) melts. Based on this analysis, several methods that can be used to inhibit or enhance the quenching are described. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3614560]