Numerical study on polymer nanofibers with electrically charged jet of viscoelastic fluid in electrospinning process

Electrospinning is a useful and efficient technique to produce polymeric nanofibers. Nanofibers of polymers are electrospun by creating an electrically charged jet of polymer solution. Numerical study on non-Newtonian and viscoelastic jets of polymer nanofibers in electrospinning process is presented in this work. In particular, the effect of non-Newtonian rheology on the jet profile during the electrospinning process is examined. The governing equations of the problem are solved numerically using the Keller-Box method. The effects of yield stress and power-law index on the elongation, velocity, stress and total force are presented and discussed in detail. The results show that by increasing the values of yield stress, the fluid elongation is reduced significantly.