We develop new criteria that describe the minimum concentration limits controlling the spinnability of dilute and semi-dilute flexible polymer solutions with high molecular weight and varying polydispersity. By asserting that the finite and bounded extensional viscosity of the solution is the key material property determining the stability of a filament during spinning, we propose a new scaling relating the minimum necessary concentration of a polymer cspin to its molecular weight M and the quality of the solvent (through the excluded volume exponent n) of the form cspin $ Mðnþ1Þ. This new scaling differs from the classical interpretation of the coil overlap concentration c* or entanglement concentration ce as the minimum concentration required to increase the viscosity of the spinning dope, and rationalizes the surprising spinnability of high molecular weight polymers at concentrations much lower than ce. Furthermore, we introduce the concept of an extensibility average molecular weight ML as the appro- priate average for the description of polydisperse solutions undergoing an extension-dominated spin- ning process. In particular it is shown that this extensibility average measure, and thus the solution spinnability, is primarily determined by the extensibility of the highest molecular weight fractions. For highly polydisperse systems this leads to an effective lowering of the minimum required concentration for successful fibre spinning (in comparison to narrowly distributed polymer solutions of similar weight average molecular weights). These predictions are validated with experimental observations of the electrospinnablity of mono- and polydisperse poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) solutions as well as a model bimodal blend, and through comparison to published literature data on the minimum spinnable polymer concentration for a variety of flexible long chain polymers over a range of molecular weights.status: publishe

Centrifugal fiber spinning has recently emerged as a highly promising alternative technique for the production of nonwoven, ultrafine fiber mats. Due to its high production rate, it could provide a more technologically relevant fiber spinning technique than electrospinning. In this contribution, we examine the influence of polymer concentration and nozzle material on the centrifugal spinning process and the fiber morphology. We find that increasing the polymer concentration transforms the process from a beaded-fiber regime to a continuous-fiber regime. Furthermore, we find that not only fiber diameter is strongly concentration-dependent, but also the nozzle material plays a significant role, especially in the continuous-fiber regime. This was evaluated by the use of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and an aluminum nozzle. We discuss the influence of polymer concentration on fiber morphology and show that the choice of nozzle material has a significant influence on the fiber diameter.

The linear and nonlinear rheological behavior of two rod-like particle suspensions as a function of concentration is studied using small amplitude oscillatory shear, steady shear and capillary breakup extensional rheometry.