Flow Blurring-Enabled Production of Polymer Filaments from Poly(ethylene oxide) Solutions.

ABSTRACT: Flow blurring (FB) atomizers are relatively simple yet robust devices used for the generation of sprays from solutions of a wide range of viscosities. In this work, we have demonstrated that FB devices may also be applied for massive production of liquid filaments from polymeric solutions. They can later be transformed into solid filaments and fibers, leading to the production of so-called fiber mats. The liquid precursors consisted of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) solutions of varying molecular weights (10⁵ [100k] to 4 × 10⁶ g/mol [4M]) and concentrations. The FB device was operated in the gas pressure range of 3-6 bar. Except for solutions of PEO 100k, all solutions exhibited a shear thinning behavior. For massive filament production, a threshold polymer concentration

SUBMITTER: Modesto-Lopez LB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6649032 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature