Modeling and optimization of electrospinning of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)

The electrospun fibers can have applications in diverse fields, such as tissue scaffolds, optical electronics, nanocatalysis, and sound absorption. Nanoscale fibers with a higher surface area can provide superior mechanical, physical, and thermal properties. Therefore, investigation of the factors affecting the electrospinning process, for various materials, is required. In this study, the design of experiments issued for optimization of electrospinning of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Taguchi orthogonal array L27OA are employed to analyze the influence of process control parameters. The variables studied are the applied voltages, solution concentrations, rotational speeds, collecting distances, and flow rates. A mathematical model of the polymer fiber diameter as a function of significant process parameters has been built using response surface methodology (RSM). The concentration percentage and the flow rate were determined to be the most significant process variables at 99% and 90% confidence levels, respectively. The predictive model provides 84.34% average model accuracy, which is considered acceptable as this study deals only with 27 of 243 trials needed for a full study based on principles of design of experiments. An additional ANOVA test and corresponding mathematical model have been developed to obtain the interaction effects for processing parameters.