Poly(ethylene‐<i>co</i>‐vinyl alcohol) and Nylon 6/12 nanofibers produced by melt electrospinning system equipped with a line‐like laser beam melting device

Abstract

Abstract A new melt electrospinning system equipped with a line‐like laser beam melting device developed for the mass production of nanofibers is introduced; this system enables fibers to be produced from locally melted polymer sheets in the presence of an electric field. Using this system, fibers were produced from poly(ethylene‐ co ‐vinyl alcohol)(EVOH) and Nylon 6/12 sheets. The fiber formation mechanism was investigated with a video camera and a thermographic camera. It was found that (1) many Taylor cones are formed on the molten end surface of the sheet at almost regular intervals; (2) a single fiber is produced from the apex of each Taylor cone; and (3) the temperature in the Taylor cone changes markedly during the fiber production. Furthermore, it is found that fibers with an average diameter smaller than 1 μm can be produced from EVOH and Nylon 6/12 sheets by the optimization of manufacturing parameters such as laser output power, voltage, sheet thickness and the feed rate of the sheet. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010