BioMimic fabrication of electrospun nanofibers with high-throughput

Spider-spun fiber is of extraordinary strength and toughness comparable to those of electrospun fiber, the later needs a very high voltage (from several thousands voltage to several ten thousands voltages) applied to water-soluble protein soup that was produced by a spider, furthermore, its mechanical strength dramatically decreases comparable to spider silk. A possible mechanism in spider-spinning process is given, the distinct character in spider-spinning is that its spinneret consists of millions of nano scale tubes, and a bubble can be produced at the apex of each nano-tube. The surface tension of each bubble is extremely small such that it can be spun into nanofibers with an awfully small force, either by the spider's body weight or tension created by the rear legs. We mimic the spider-spinning in electrospinning using an aerated solution, which leads to various small bubbles on surface with very small surface tension, as a result the bubble can be easily electrospun into nanofibers with low applied voltage. This fabrication process possesses features of high productivity, versatility, in addition, the minimum diameter of nanofibers produced by this process can reach as small as 50 nm. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.