An angled robotic dual-nozzle electrospinning set-up for preparing PU/PA6 composite fibers

Abstract

This paper presents the design and development of a robust electrospinning set-up for the processing of polymer composites at the nanoscale. A robotic-controlled movable dual-nozzle (keeping the rotating collector at a fixed position) set-up with two power supplies is presented for nanocomposite electrospinning. We studied the effect of different angles between two nozzles on the physicochemical properties of composite PU/PA6 electrospun mats obtained from this electrospining set-up. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the mats indicated that the diameter of the nanofibers and their evenness was affected by the angle between the nozzles. The effect of angle (between the nozzles) on the mechanical strength of the composite mats was also evaluated. The hybrid mat obtained from the dual- nozzle system was found to be mechanically stronger than the individual fibrous mat. Furthermore, the mechanical strength of the composite mat could be increased by decreasing the angle between the tips of the nozzles.