H.A. Lacy, R.K. Tindell, L. Gray, F.J. Chaparro
Nanoscience Instruments,
United States
Keywords: electrospinning, scalability, nanofibers, nanomaterials
Summary:
Electrospinning, with its ability to process a diverse range of materials and produce customizable form factors, has emerged as a versatile technique in industrial-scale materials production. Commercial electrospinning equipment stands out for its exceptional versatility and scalability, offering a spectrum of processing options from single-needle to 5000+ needle configurations or needleless techniques. This flexibility enables the production of nanomaterials tailored for various applications spanning from advanced medical devices and biomaterials to high-performance textiles and filtration media. Moreover, the high throughput capability of commercial electrospinning ensures efficient production of desired medical devices and nanomaterials/biomaterials at the industrial scale. This work presents an example of a clear scalability pathway and current production throughput capabilities using common industry polymers, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polycaprolactone (PCL), and the Fluidnatek professional electrospinning equipment. The findings support the future potential of commercial electrospinning to reshape the landscape of medical device and materials manufacturing, offering innovative production solutions with substantial versatility and scalability.