Electrospinning is increasingly being used to produce ultra-thin
fibers from a wide range of biopolymer materials (Chronakis, 2005,
2010; Frenot & Chronakis, 2003; D. Li & Xia, 2004; Reneker & Chun,
1996). This non-mechanical, technique involves the use of a highvoltage
electrostatic field to charge the surface of a polymer solution
droplet, thereby inducing the ejection of a liquid jet through a
spinneret. In a typical process, an electrical potential is applied
between a droplet of a polymer solution held at the end of a
capillary tube and a grounded target. When the electric field
applied overcomes the surface tension of the droplet, a charged jet
of polymer solution is ejected. On the way to the collector the jet
will be subjected to forces, allowing it to stretch immensely.
Simultaneously, the jet will partially or fully solidify through solvent
evaporation or cooling, and an electrically charged fiber will
remain, which can be directed or accelerated by electrical forces
and then collected in sheets or other useful shapes. A characteristic
feature of the electrospinning process is the extremely rapid formation
of the nano-microfiber structure