Simulation and experimental study of parameters in multiple-nozzle electrospinning: Effects of voltage and nozzle configuration on the electric field and electrospun jet attributes

Multiple-jet electrospinning techniques are devised to increase productivity and deposition area for large scale production of nanofibers. The electrospun jets in multiple-nozzle electrospinning behave differently than jets in the conventional single-nozzle setup, and the electric field and fiber non-uniformity becomes a main concern to address. The effects of different nozzle arrangements and voltages on the process and jet characteristics from each nozzle were examined for multiple-nozzle setups with up to five nozzles. Results show that the cone angle of the whipping jets and the length and deflection angle of the straight jets were influenced by the voltage and nozzle setup. From the electric field simulation, it shows that the electric field strength was reduced with the addition of nozzles, which also tend to lead to higher voltage requirement in order to initiate and sustain jets from all nozzles. The strength and distribution of electric field also varied with difference nozzle arrangements. Increasing the internozzle distance tends to increase the mean electric field strength. With four and five nozzles, unequal spacings with larger inner to outer distance ratio resulted in more uniform electric field distributions.