Process Optimization of Coaxial Air-blown Electrospinning Process by Design of Experiment

In this study, a coaxial air-blown spinning system has been optimized for the variables of air flow rate, solu- tion concentration, and voltage using the design of experiment (DOE) method. Both response surface analysis (RSA) and Taguchi's method (TM) were employed and compared to obtain the optimal process conditions. A total of 41 spin- ning trials were utilized and fitted with RSA and TM; they were then used to obtain mathematical prediction models. The resulting optimum parameters were an air flow rate of 20 l/min, a concentration of 8 wt%, and a voltage of 35 kV, predicting an average diameter of 335.76 nm with an estimated error of 18.85 nm. In TM, the SN ratio was calculated on randomly chosen data. The optimal process conditions that gave the largest SN ratio were an air flow rate of 20 l/ min, a concentration of 8 wt%, and a voltage of 30 kV, representing the estimated SN ratio and diameter, -52.03 and 309.11 nm, respectively. For coaxial air-blown electrospinning under the same conditions, the experimental SN ratio and diameter were -52.0269 and 376.75 nm, respectively.