Self-feeding electrospinning method based on the Weissenberg-effect

Abstract In this study, we propose a novel electrospinning method, where a rotating rod is immersed into a polymer solution. Due to the Weissenberg effect of a non-Newtonian polymer, the solution can climb up to the tip of the rotating rod and form a meniscus for electrospinning. In order to investigate the effect of the shape of the meniscus on fiber diameter, we proposed four parameters to characterize the meniscus: the volume of the meniscus, the height difference, the half-angle of the Taylor-cone and the transition angle. Except for the height difference, the other three parameters have a positive influence on fiber diameter. We also calculated the climbing constant for different rod radii and different solution concentrations. The results show that the climbing constant can be an important parameter to influence fiber diameter.