Use of artificial neural networks to determine parameters controlling the nanofibers diameter in electrospinning of nylon-6,6

This study aimed to find out the primary factors influencing the diameter of electrospun nanofibers of nylon-6,6 using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Four variables, namely, polymer concentration, working distance, injection rate, and applied voltage were considered as input parameters and the nanofibers diameter measured by scanning electron microscopy was taken as the output. The data were modeled and validated against a set of unseen data. The generated model was used to study the interactions occurring between the input variables and their effect on the diameter. Results show that the injection rate and the polymer concentration are major factors affecting the nanofibers diameter with inverse and direct relations with the diameter, respectively, while the working distance and the applied voltage have direct but minor effects on nanofibers diameter. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012