On the conditions to produce micro- and nanofibres by laser spinning

Laser spinning is a new technique which has recently been demonstrated to produce ultralong amorphous ceramic nanofibres with controllable chemical compositions. A laser is employed to melt a small volume of the precursor material at high temperatures, while a supersonic gas jet is then used to rapidly elongate the molten material. The melt forms glass fibres as a result of its viscous elongation and rapid cooling by the convective heat transfer produced by the gas jet.This work analyses the relation between the operating conditions of laser spinning and the physical process that leads to the formation of nanofibres, with the purpose of controlling and designing the optimum conditions for the process. Two decoupled mathematical models were developed to study, on the one hand, the influence of the initial temperature and volume of the molten material on its elongation process, whereas the second model is solved to analyse the physics of the fusion front as a function of the process parameters and relate it to the process of producing the fibres. These models were verified and complemented by experimental tests studied by analyses of the products and direct observation of the fusion front using a high speed camera.

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