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Formation of homogenous nanofibers using silicon microneedle spinnerets

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Abstract

We report the use of a silicon microfabricated device as a new spinneret for electrospinning purposes. This device has been realized on silicon substrates using a deep reactive ion etching process. To make proper holes in the center of microneedles, a rotating angle deposition method followed by vertical etching of silicon is employed. By using these needles as fluid nozzles in the electrospinning process, poly vinyl alcohol solution with a concentration of 7 % has been converted into nanofibers. The formation of nanofibers has been investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Using this process, nanofibers with a diameter of 100–200 nm are realized where the dispersion is less than 50 nm. Finally, the effects of needle size and the applied voltage have been investigated on the diameter of nanofibers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thin Films and NanoElectronics Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering School, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Ali Hosseini, Soheil Azimi & Shams Mohajerzadeh

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  1. Seyed Ali Hosseini
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  2. Soheil Azimi
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  3. Shams Mohajerzadeh
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Correspondence to Shams Mohajerzadeh.

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Hosseini, S.A., Azimi, S. & Mohajerzadeh, S. Formation of homogenous nanofibers using silicon microneedle spinnerets. Microsyst Technol 18, 2063–2070 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-012-1526-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-012-1526-9

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