Effect of Using Various Needle Electrospinning on the Thickness and Morphology of Nanofiber Mats

This research aimed to study the fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofiber mats by
electrospinning with different numbers of needles. The spinning solution was prepared from 10 g of PVA
dissolved in 100 ml of distilled water. The bubble on the spinning solution was observed after
preparation ranging from 1-3 h. The results showed that the bubble on the spinning solution disappeared
after 3 h. After that, the spinning solution was spun into a nanofiber mat by electrospinning with 1, 2,
and 3 needles. In addition, the nanofiber mat formation on the collector with different numbers of
needles electrospinning was photographed and the percent coverage was determined by ImageJ
software. The percent coverage of the nanofiber mat with 3 needles electrospinning was higher than
others. The thickness of all nanofiber mats was investigated by cross-section using optical microscopy. The thickness at the center of nanofiber mats with 1, 2, and 3 needles was 40.0 ± 1.6, 74.4 ± 7.3, and
124.2 ± 3.3 μm, respectively. In addition, the nanofiber mats with 3 needles had higher thickness and
uniformity than others. The morphology of all nanofiber mats was studied by scanning electron
microscopy. The results showed that the diameter of nanofibers decreased with increasing needle
electrospinning. This research indicated that multi-needle electrospinning can successfully enhance the
thickness of nanofiber mats.