Hello!
I have a question about the charge of the jet in electrospinning.
Let's regard electrospinning of a polymer-solvent system. The solution is ionized at the needle and moves towards the collector in an electric field. In general, the charges can be either on the solvent molecules or on the polymer molecules. However, the most theories that I met in the literature, regard only the charges located on the polymer molecules. It seems strange because if the solvent molecules are charged, they can decrease the electrostatic energy by evaporating from the charged jet and thus releasing the electrostatic tension.
What is the balance between the charges on the solvent and on the polymer? Can the charge leave the jet during the solvent evaporation?
- Yes, some of the charge could theoretically leave the jet during solvent evaporation, especially if the solvent carries a significant ionic load, but this is usually a minor effect.
- The charge tends to remain on the polymer molecules as the jet solidifies, and the final charge distribution is predominantly on the polymer fibers.
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