Geometric Modeling of Electrospun Micro-/Nano-Fiber System for Simulation of Physical Properties

Prasoon Kumar, Rishav Kumar

Abstract: Polymeric micro-/nano-fibers have potential for a variety of applications e. g. tissue engineering, filter media, biosensors, textiles etc. Many of these applications depend on porosity and pore size distribution of these micro-/nano-fiber meshes, that need to be characterized before any application. Therefore, in the current work, we aimed at understanding the interplay of structural and physical properties of micro-/nanofiber meshes by generating an insilico geometric model of these meshes through a novel algorithm. A new algorithm for fiber mesh generation was developed which generated fiber meshes with controlled structural parameters such as fiber diameter, length, alignment, angle of bend and fusion, thereby enabling study of physical properties. Furthermore, the surface mesh model generated by our algorithm may enable computational study of mechanical properties, transport phenomenon before landing upon an actual fabrication and application. This will not only save numerous attempt of trial and error method of parameter optimization during fabrication of micro-/nanofibrous materials but also save time, energy and resources.

Keywords: Geometric modeling, solid volume fraction, micro-/nanofibers, electrospinning