The principle of bubble electrospinning and its experimental verification

Abstract

We have demonstrated herein the ability to fabricate continuous and uniform nanofibers by electrospinning using an aerated polymer solution, which led to various small bubbles on the surface with small surface tension; as a result, bubbles could be easily electrospun into nanofibers. According to bubble dynamics, we discussed the principle of this electrospinning process, and found it was deceptively simple and it was primarily based on small surface tension of the produced bubble. The experimental results were in keeping with the analysis with the aid of a high-speed digital camera. Additionally, the transient motion of a jet was captured in our experiment, which was similar to that of an ordinary electrospinning process.