Using chitosan (CTS) as a model polymer

the feasibility of obtaining aligned ultrafine CTS fibers were demonstrated by employing a small amount of ultrahigh molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) to formulate the solution viscoelasticity

which enables to suppress the electrospinning bending instability to form a pretty long and stable jet (this approach was termed as stable jet electrospinning

SJES).This makes continuous fabrication of aligned ultrafine fibers

as achievable in those traditional fiber forming methods (e.g.

dry spinning or dry-wet spinning)

to come into reality.Here

a systematical parameter study is reported on the SJES process including mass ratio of CTS/PEO

applied voltage

collecting distance

coagulation bath and rotating speed of drum.Characterization of the resultant electrospun CTS fibers by SEM

FTIR

WAXD and nano-tensile testing was also performed.The result showed that SJES enabled to produce individual CTS fibers with a diameter of 10 m.The diameters of CTS fibers could be attenuated to ca.3 m by varying applied voltage and stretching speed.The electrospun CTS fibers by SJES were of high mechanical performance

with the measured tensile strength and modulus of (76293)MPa and (116)GPa

respectively.SJES facilitated polymer chain and crystalline orientation

which may have contributed to the significant improvement in the mechanical properties of thus made ultrafine CTS fibers.