**Solution Blow Spinning of High-Performance Submicron Polyvinylidene Fluoride Fibres: Computational Fluid Mechanics Modelling and Experimental Results**

**Rasheed Atif 1,\*, Madeleine Combrinck 1, Jibran Khaliq 1, Ahmed H. Hassanin 2,3, Nader Shehata 2,4,5,6, Eman Elnabawy 2 and Islam Shyha 1**


Received: 15 April 2020; Accepted: 8 May 2020; Published: 16 May 2020

**Abstract:** Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to investigate characteristics of high-speed air as it is expelled from a solution blow spinning (SBS) nozzle using a k-ε turbulence model. Air velocity, pressure, temperature, turbulent kinetic energy and density contours were generated and analysed in order to achieve an optimal attenuation force for fibre production. A bespoke convergen<sup>t</sup> nozzle was used to produce polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fibres at air pressures between 1 and 5 bar. The nozzle comprised of four parts: a polymer solution syringe holder, an air inlet, an air chamber, and a cap that covers the air chamber. A custom-built SBS setup was used to produce PVDF submicron fibres which were consequently analysed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) for their morphological features. Both theoretical and experimental observations showed that a higher air pressure (4 bar) is more suitable to achieve thin fibres of PVDF. However, fibre diameter increased at 5 bar and intertwined ropes of fibres were also observed.

**Keywords:** CFD; SBS; nozzle; PVDF; fibres
