Mass production of nanofibre assemblies by electrostatic spinning

Electrospinning is a well-established and intensively investigated methodology, and is currently the only known technique that can fabricate continuous nanofibres. The major challenge associated with electrospinning is its production rate, compared with that of conventional fibre spinning. However, the understanding of the scale-up possibility of the electrospinning process is still in its infancy. Substantial up-scaling of electrospinning may pave the way for applications of nanofibre assemblies (i.e. yarns) not accessible otherwise in conventional textile processes, such as weaving, knitting and braiding. Here we summarize recent advances regarding the enhancement of electrospinning throughput with special emphasis on multiple jets from multi-needles and the free surface of polymer solutions. (C) 2009 Society of Chemical Industry