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Article

Design and Validation of a Portable Handheld Device to Produce Fine Fibers Using Centrifugal Forces

by
Gregory Potter
,
Raul Barbosa
,
Alexa Villarreal
,
Alexandra Salinas
,
Hector Guzman
,
Heriberto De Leon
,
Javier A. Ortega
* and
Karen Lozano
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 1201 West University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Instruments 2020, 4(3), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments4030027
Submission received: 28 July 2020 / Revised: 7 September 2020 / Accepted: 9 September 2020 / Published: 14 September 2020
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Abstract

In the present research project, a novel portable battery-powered handheld device able to produce micron and submicron fibers using centrifugal forces is proposed. The design includes spinnerets with a clamshell configuration with multiple chambers or reservoirs (2, 4, and 8) and different exit orifice diameters (400, 500, 600, and 800 µm). The rotational speed is controlled via an Arduino microcontroller. To validate the design, a series of experiments were conducted and the effect of the orifice diameter, number of chambers, and velocity on the resulting fibers’ diameter and yield was studied. For the experiments, a polymeric solution of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) was prepared. The fiber yield was gravimetrically quantified, and the fiber morphology and diameter were analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results showed that spinnerets with an orifice diameter of 500 microns yielded the greatest amount of fibers (0.0777 g). In addition, the number of chambers also affected the amount of fibers produced, and it was determined that the fiber diameter size is dependent on the spinneret speed. Fibers 80 nm in diameter were observed at 6500 rpm.
Keywords: fine fibers; Forcespinning®; handheld; portable device; spinneret fine fibers; Forcespinning®; handheld; portable device; spinneret

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MDPI and ACS Style

Potter, G.; Barbosa, R.; Villarreal, A.; Salinas, A.; Guzman, H.; De Leon, H.; Ortega, J.A.; Lozano, K. Design and Validation of a Portable Handheld Device to Produce Fine Fibers Using Centrifugal Forces. Instruments 2020, 4, 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments4030027

AMA Style

Potter G, Barbosa R, Villarreal A, Salinas A, Guzman H, De Leon H, Ortega JA, Lozano K. Design and Validation of a Portable Handheld Device to Produce Fine Fibers Using Centrifugal Forces. Instruments. 2020; 4(3):27. https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments4030027

Chicago/Turabian Style

Potter, Gregory, Raul Barbosa, Alexa Villarreal, Alexandra Salinas, Hector Guzman, Heriberto De Leon, Javier A. Ortega, and Karen Lozano. 2020. "Design and Validation of a Portable Handheld Device to Produce Fine Fibers Using Centrifugal Forces" Instruments 4, no. 3: 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments4030027

APA Style

Potter, G., Barbosa, R., Villarreal, A., Salinas, A., Guzman, H., De Leon, H., Ortega, J. A., & Lozano, K. (2020). Design and Validation of a Portable Handheld Device to Produce Fine Fibers Using Centrifugal Forces. Instruments, 4(3), 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments4030027

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