Group 043-02: Improving electrospinning efficiency

This week, our group has made great progress in many different areas of the project. Kenny has been working hard to improve the CAD model of the newly designed electrospinning apparartus. We have decided that we should have at least three CAD models for the final report, so that there is some variety in our design and so that we can make the multiple design fit multiple purposes. Figure 1 is the beginnings of our second CAD model for the final report. This model shows the syringe pump, hose, and a door on the back end of the apparatus, as well as other details. This placement of the door might improve safety for the user, as opposed to the previous model.

Figure 1: Second rough draft of the electrospinning apparatus design

We have also gathered some more important patent information, which will only improve our background knowledge of electrospinning so that we can better our design even further. Phu has been in close contact with Jay Bhatt to dig up more information about electrospinning devices and their configurations. In Figure 2, a basic electrospinning setup is shown, which is one that has been patented and already exists on the market [1]. It is important to know the patent information for other devices, so that we know that we are not copying someone else's idea and so that we can build upon the ideas of others, in order to make a better design over all. In this setup, the electrospun fiber 130 travels to the collector 140, where it is attracted by by either upper electrode 142 or lower electrode 144 [1]. By placing a substrate between those electrodes (for example glass substrate), the fiber 130 can be linearly-aligned between the upper and lower electrodes on the glass substrate 150 [1].