DEPOSITION OF NANOFIBRES ON TEXTILE MATERIALS BY LARGE SCALE ELECTROSPINNING PILOT PLANT

Electrospinning is recognised as the main and the most versatile method to produce polymer-based nanofibres. In this process, nanofibres are produced by repulsive electrostatic forces acting on a polymer fluid (e.g. polymer solution). The simplest operative setup consists of three components: a pump that pushes the fluid to a capillary, an electric power supply that generates the electrostatic field between the capillary and a collector, and the collector where nanofibres are deposited. In order to widen the application of electrospinning, nanofibres need to be deposited on a supporting substrate (textile materials such as woven fabrics or non-wovens) because of their limited mechanical properties. On the other hand, nanofibre-coated fabrics have potential uses as filters and protective clothing, but to fulfil industrial requirements three issues have to be solved: plants up-scaling, process stability and adhesion between nanofibers and textile substrates. In this work, the first two issues were investigated by designing and developing a multi-nozzle electrospinning plant (up to 62 nozzles), whereas the third issue was investigated by measuring the adhesion of nanofibers to textiles with peeling tests and introducing a plasma treatment of substrates before the nanofibers deposition.