Research ArticleNo Access

ELUCIDATING THE FRACTAL NATURE OF THE POROSITY OF NANOFIBER MEMBERS IN THE ELECTROSPINNING PROCESS

XIAO-XIA LI

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4272-2573

School of Textile Garment and Design, Changshu Institute of Technology, Suzhou, P. R. China

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YE-CHENG LUO

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1412-9265

School of Jia Yang, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China

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ABDULRAHMAN ALI ALSOLAMI

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8189-4987

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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, and

JI-HUAN HE

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1636-0559

School of Jia Yang, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China

National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China

E-mail Address: hejihuan@suda.edu.cn

Corresponding author.

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https://doi.org/10.1142/S0218348X24501093Cited by:1 (Source: Crossref)

Abstract

Electrospinning is an amazing process that enables the production of primarily nanofiber membranes. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying the formation of two-dimensional (2D) nonwoven structure remains a fascinating enigma. This paper presents a novel morphology of nanofiber membranes with a cluster structure that bears resemblance to the solar nebula. The mechanism of nanofiber cluster structures in the electrospinning process is elucidated through the geometric potential theory, which begins with a zero-dimensional receptor, progresses to a one-dimensional (1D) receptor, a 2D receptor, and ultimately culminates in a fractal-like lattice receptor. Moreover, a three-dimensional (3D) printing-like novel approach is presented for the manipulation of nanofiber membrane’s shape through the use of a lattice-structured receptor. The fabrication process of the cluster structure nanofiber membranes by electrospinning is presented, and their remarkable potential applications are discussed.

Keywords:

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