Among the traditional methods for nanofiber fabrication, their inherent defects limit their application in industry. This work presents a simple and novel spinning technology to fabricate nanofiber, which uses a high-speed rotary spinneret called high-speed centrifugal spinning. Unlike electrospinning, the electric field is not required, and it could fabricate nanofiber in bulk from melt or solution materials. This work introduces the mechanism principle and development of high-speed centrifugal spinning. Besides, the high-speed centrifugal spinning is compared with the traditional spinning methods. The jet movement and nanofiber formation process under the action of centrifugal force are explained in detail. The effects of equipment parameters and spinning solution parameters on final nanofiber morphology are presented. These parameters are controllable, they include rotational speed of spinneret, length and diameter of nozzle, spinning solution concentration, spinning solution viscosity and surface tension, and collection distance.

Composite nanofibers with excellent physical and chemical properties are widely used in new energy, biomedical, environmental, electronic, and other fields. Their preparation methods have been investigated extensively by many experts. High-speed centrifugal spinning is a novel method used to fabricate composite nanofibers. The slip mechanism of polymer solution flows is an important factor affecting the morphology and quality of composite nanofibers prepared by high-speed centrifugal spinning. As the polymer solution flows, the liquid wall slip occurs inside the nozzle, followed by liquid–liquid interface slip and gas–liquid interface slip. The factors affecting polymer slip were investigated by developing a mathematical model in the nozzle. This suggests that the magnitude of the velocity is an important factor that affects polymer slip and determines fiber quality and morphology. Under the same rotational speed, the smaller the nozzle diameter, the greater the concentration of velocity distribution and the smaller the diameter of the produced composite nanofibers. Finally, PEO/PVA composite nanofibers were prepared using high-speed centrifugal spinning equipment at 900–5000 rpm and nozzle diameters of 0.2 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm, and 0.8 mm. The morphology and quality of the collected PEO/PVA composite nanofibers were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and TG experiments. Then, the optimal parameters for the preparation of PEO/PVA composite nanofibers by high-speed centrifugal spinning were obtained by combining the external environmental factors in the preparation process. Theoretical evaluation and experimental data were provided for the centrifugal composite spinning slip mechanism and for the preparation of composite nanofibers.

Centrifugal spinning is a neoteric method of fabricating nanofiber. Due to its numerous advantages and industrial prospects, it receives continuous attention.. With the continuous development of centrifugal spinning technology, it can increasingly replace traditional nanofiber preparation methods as it can reduce production energy consumption, increase production efficiency and actualize the massive production of nanofibers. The morphology and dimensions of the nanofiber are related to the angular velocity of the centrifugal movement, the viscosity of the polymer solution, the nozzle diameter, air resistance and the collection radius. Firstly, this paper introduces the principle and equipment structure of high-speed centrifugal spinning and describes the jet spatial motion of the polymer solution. Then, the force analysis is performed and a mathematical model of the jet spatial motion is established based on the non-Newtonian fluid constitutive equation. Finally, the high-speed centrifugal spinning experiment is carried out to fabricate nanofibers, which are characterized by SEM. The experimental results show that the factors such as spinning speed, the concentration of PEO solution and collection distance have a great influence on nanofiber jet movement and nanofiber morphology.