Nanofiber Fabrication and Characterization for the Engineering Education

Electrospinning is a novel process of producing sub-micron and nano-sized fibers that consist of higher physical properties (e.g., surface area, porosity and flexibility).In a typical electrospinning process, a jet is ejected from a charged polymer solution when the applied electric field strength overcomes the surface tension of the solution.The ejected jet then travels rapidly to the collector target located at some distance from the charged polymer solution under the influence of the electric field and becomes a solid polymer filament as the jet dries.This communication presents the fabrication and characterizations of nanofibers and devices for undergraduate and graduate students to enhance their hands-on laboratory experiences.