Discretized modeling of electrically driven viscoelastic jets in the initial stage of electrospinning

The focus of this work is the modeling and simulation of the initial "stable jet" phase seen during the electrospinning process. The basis of the modeling is the bead-spring approach first proposed by Reneker et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 87, p. 4531 (2000)], who used this methodology to predominantly simulate the bending instability in electrospinning. In a previous work [Carroll et al., Phys. Fluids 18, 053102 (2006)], it was seen that a continuum model was able to accurately simulate the development of the jet in the stable jet region. Based on a comparison between these two approaches, a more detailed conservation of charge relationship, surface tension forces in the jet axial direction and the presence of a Newtonian viscous solvent are added into the bead-spring model. The jet profile predictions given by the modified model are in greatly improved agreement with experimental data from the electrospinning of various fluids including poorly electrically conducting PIB Boger fluids and highly conducting PEO/water solutions. The accurate bead-spring model predictions constitute a promising springboard for the further study of the emergence and propagation of the bending instability in electrospinning. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3582119]