Nanofiber alignment during electrospinning: Effects of collector structures and governing parameters

Aligned electrospun nanofibers have gained increasing interest due to unique electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. Several works have devoted to reshaping the electrospinning process through modifying the collector structures. However, more investigations are still required. Here, the influence of collector structures and some key electrospinning parameters on fiber alignment by using static parallel substrates as collector are reported. Results show that the two parallel substrates are favorable to obtain the fiber alignment and the key governing parameters for making fiber alignment are also determined. The suitable solution concentration, applied voltage, tip-to-collector distance, and flow rate for getting a good fiber alignment are 12 wt%, 7 kV, 10 cm, and 100-250 μL/hr, respectively.