Continuous polymer nanofibers by extrusion into a viscous medium: A modified wet-spinning technique - art. no. 073115

We present a wet-spinning technique capable of producing continuous polymer nanofibers. This method involves injecting a solvated polymer into a highly viscous moving medium through a microaperture. The extruded fiber moves in a predictable spiral path and is collected around a spinning mandrel which also serves to pull the extruded fiber away from the aperture. Semicontinuous, solid nanofibers of polyvinyl butyral were produced with diameters ranging from 10 mu m to 400 nm. Electron microscopy indicates that submicron fibers exhibit a ribbonlike morphology. The effect of different processing parameters on the fiber size and shape is discussed.