Effect of perturbation on the whipping motion in electrospinning

Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated that the essential electrospinning mechanism is a rapidly whipping jet in an electric field. Perturbation growth is responsible for the observed whipping motion in electrospinning. In this study, we focused on the effect of perturbation on the whipping motion in electrospinning. Experimental and modeling studies were performed. Experimental observations by electrospinning under normal and vacuum conditions showed that perturbations caused by the ambient air influenced the whipping motion and fiber diameter. Modeling predictions also showed the effect of the initial perturbation on the whipping instability, and qualitative trends in the model predictions were in accordance with the experimental investigation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.