Correlating cone/jet features of electrospinning with fiber diameter and wettability to modulate fiber membranes with different wettabilitiy

Abstract

Electrospinning is capable of fabricating nanofiber membranes with tunable structures and surface properties. However, the lack of quantitative predictive models correlating process signatures with membrane wettability hinders the rational design and application of these membranes for scenarios with specific wettability requirements. In this study, we achieved the precise extraction of key cone/jet feature parameters in the electrospinning experiment, including cone-end length (L_c), jet-start length (L_j), straight jet length (L_sj), and Taylor cone volume (V_c), with a feature point recognition accuracy of 0.99, by integrating in-situ high-speed imaging with a self-developed algorithm. The results demonstrated a statistically stable correlation between L_c and fiber diameter (R² > 0.86–0.99), while L_j exhibited notably superior predictive capability for fiber diameter within concentration groups (R² > 0.99). A highly multiple regression model, $D_{\text{f}}=\text{lg}\left(L_{\text{c}}^{299.02}{L}_{\text{j}}^{464.59}{V}_{\text{c}}^{\text{-}399.88}\right)\text{-}0.016·0.{25}^{L_{\text{sj}}}\text{-}83.72$$D_{\text{f}}=\text{lg}\left(L_{\text{c}}^{299.02}{L}_{\text{j}}^{464.59}{V}_{\text{c}}^{\text{-}399.88}\right)\text{-}0.016·0.{25}^{L_{\text{sj}}}\text{-}83.72$(R² > 0.96), was established to further elucidate the combined effects of these parameters on fiber diameter. Based on the validation of fiber diameter as a key indicator for predicting wettability, the study revealed that Lj and Lsj provided a more accurate wettability prediction in concentration-grouped experiments (R² > 0.99) than fiber diameter itself (R² > 0.87). These findings indicate that cone/jet features can serve as effective indicators for the real-time monitoring and precise control of nanofiber membrane wettability. This research provides a theoretical basis for the controllable design of electrospun membranes and has significant potential applications in fields such as oil–water separation, biomedicine and surface engineering.