Open Access Conference Proceedings

Nanofibrous materials are currently in transition between laboratory and industrial-scale production. The main factor that hinders transition speed is relatively low productivity compared to widely used technologies such as melt-blown or force-spinning. One possible solution is to use a different technology than a typical direct current electrospinning (DC). It is possible to electrospin solutions using another high-voltage source – providing alternating current energy (AC). The potential of AC technology lies in increased productivity of the process and the possibility of electrospinning solutions containing a high dose of additives (15-30 % wt.) such as hydroxyapatite, graphene, active carbon, ceramics, clay particle, aluminium or metallic oxides. When using AC technology, some problems can arise. The main one is the transition of a working solution that spins well in small laboratory DC systems or industrial-scale NanospiderTM machines driven by direct current. It is usually required to modify the solution to improve the spinnability of the solution in the AC system. In our case, we experienced the problem in the spinnability of PA 6 when using the so-called “overflow electrode” that enables the spinning of polymer for a more extended time (multiple hours). The initial solution of PA 6 did not produce a nanofibrous layer but technologically unprocessable small flakes. We show that minor modification of solutions using oxoacids can lead to significant improvement of the nanofibrous product. The results are presented in the form of SEM images and histograms showing the change in diameters of nanofibers.

Keywords: Electrospinning, polyamide 6, nanofibers, oxoacids

© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.