title: Electrospinning of aligned fibers with adjustable orientation using auxiliary electrodes.
abstract: A conventional electrospinning setup was upgraded by two turnable plate-like auxiliary high-voltage electrodes that allowed aligned fiber deposition in adjustable directions. Fiber morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR). The auxiliary electric field constrained the jet bending instability and the fiber deposition became controllable. At target speeds of 0.9 m s-190% of the fibers had aligned within 2°, whereas the angular spread was 70° without the use of auxiliary electrodes. It was even possible to orient fibers perpendicular to the rotational direction of the target. The fiber diameter became smaller and its distribution narrower, while according to the FTIR-ATR measurement the molecular orientation of the polymer was unaltered. This study comprehensively documents the feasibility of directed fiber deposition and offers an easy upgrade to existing electrospinning setups.
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Institute for Material Science and Technology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias M L
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Arras
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster for Cardiovascular Research, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grasl
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster for Cardiovascular Research, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Division of Biomedical Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bergmeister
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster for Cardiovascular Research, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schima
keywords: 10.10; 10.13; 30.04; alignment; electrospinning; fiber structures; orientation