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In recent years, the application of electrospun nanofiber-based materials in supercapacitor electrode materials has attracted widespread attention due to their high specific surface area, good electrical conductivity, stable physicochemical properties, and fast charging and discharging speeds. Although the traditional single-needle electrospinning (SNE) device is widely used and simple to operate, its industrialization is limited due to the extremely low yield. Compared with single-needle electrospinning, multi-needle electrospinning improves the yield to a certain extent, but the mutual interference of the electric field between needles affects the spinning process, and the problem of needle plugging has not been solved. The needleless electrospinning device fundamentally solves the problem of needle plugging and can prepare micro/nanofibers more efficiently.
With the expanding application fields of electrospun nanofibers and the changing needs of human beings, a variety of functional nanofibers have emerged as promising materials, such as conductive fibers, phase-change fibers, antistatic fibers and antibacterial fibers. Therefore, the batch preparation of high-performance functional nanofibers using electrospinning has become a current research hotspot. The spinning solutions used to prepare different functional nanofibers have different properties. When the spinning solution contains insoluble functional nanoparticles, these particles are usually not well dispersed in the solution. In particular, during the spinning process, the nanoparticles sink when the solution stays in the reservoir. This can lead to significant delamination of the solution and uneven distribution of functional nanoparticles in the final product, reducing product performance.
The main point of this paper
ZnO Nanoparticle Characterization:
Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles have stable physical and chemical properties, good biocompatibility, excellent photovoltaic properties, non-toxicity, strong antimicrobial activity, and low price, which makes them widely used in several fields.
Novel electrospinning device (EMAI):
An electrospinning device (EMAI) with multiple air inlets was designed and developed for the batch preparation of functional nanofibers containing ZnO nanoparticles.
The device keeps the ZnO nanoparticles in the spinning solution uniformly dispersed and reduces agglomeration through the airflow generated by the multiple holes to obtain nanofibers with uniform ZnO content.
Electrospinning machine and parameter optimization:
The electrospinning of the novel device was explored through experimental and theoretical analysis.
The optimal electrospinning parameters were determined to achieve efficient and uniform nanofiber preparation.
Novel electrospinning device (EMAI):
A multi inlet electrospinning device with a copper porous spinneret is proposed to obtain functional nanofibers with higher yield and more uniform nanoparticle distribution
Application of ZnO nanoparticles:
Utilizing the stable physicochemical properties, good biocompatibility, excellent optoelectronic properties, non-toxicity, strong antimicrobial activity, and low price of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles, they are applied in several fields to improve product performance and technical specifications
Experimental and theoretical analysis:
The mechanism of the device for batch preparation of functional nanofibers containing ZnO nanoparticles was investigated through experimental and theoretical analysis
The experimental data coincided with the theoretical analysis results, indicating that the device could keep the ZnO nanoparticles in the spinning solution uniformly dispersed during the spinning process under appropriate voltage (50 kV) and airflow (50 m3/h) conditions
Results and Performance:
Functional nanofibers with more uniform distribution of ZnO nanoparticles were obtained with higher quality and yield than those prepared by other high-yield electrospinning devices
Application Potential:
These Nanofiber Membranes have the potential to be used in smart textiles, unidirectional water collection and wound dressing applications
ZnO/PAN nanofibers were prepared in batch using an electrospinning device (EMAI) with multiple air inlets. It was found that the distribution of ZnO nanoparticles in the composite nanofibers obtained by EMAI was more uniform compared to SSFSE. This was attributed to the fact that the ZnO nanoparticles in the electrospinning solution were kept uniformly dispersed by the porous air flow during the spinning process of EMAI, which reduced the agglomeration of the nanoparticles. The effect of air flow rate on the spinning effect was investigated experimentally, and the results showed that too large or too small air flow rate is not conducive to obtaining high-quality functional nanofibers. When the air flow rate was 50 m3/h, only a small amount of microbubbles were generated, and thus ZnO/PAN nanofibers with uniform distribution of ZnO nanoparticles were obtained.
In addition, the effects of electrospinning voltage on the EMAI process as well as the quality and yield of ZnO/PAN nanofibers were also investigated experimentally and theoretically. The theoretical and experimental results were consistent and showed that the number of jets generated on the surface of the spinning solution increased with the increase of spinning voltage. However, too high a electrospinning voltage (60 kV) causes the jets to be unstable and the spinning speed to be too fast, resulting in coarsening of the fibers and fiber bundles. When the voltage was 50 kV, the spinning process was stable and the quality and yield of ZnO/PAN nanofibers were high. This provides a convenient and effective method for the batch preparation of functional nanofibers uniformly loaded with nanoparticles, thus expanding the practical applications of functional nanofibers in the future.
