Controlled assembly of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) fibers through an electric-field-assisted electrospinning method

In this paper, we develop an effective electric-field-assisted electrospinning method for the controlled deposition of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) fibers. The electric field distribution becomes uniform and convergent due to the introduction of a metal plate and a focusing aid into the conventional electrospinning setup. As a result, the bending instability is suppressed and the jet is restricted to moving to the collector along a straight line. Helical structure of fibers with lateral width of about 10 mu m is formed and aligned on a rotating substrate. The morphology of helical fibers can also be effectively adjusted by varying the collecting velocity.