Preparation of High-Viscosity Polypropylene Ultrafine Fiber Membranes by Centrifugal Spinning with Synergistic Jet-Guided and Cyclone-Assisted Stretching
1.School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
2.Hubei Engineering Research Center for Biomedical and Protective Materials, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
3.National Engineering Research Center of Novel Equipment for Polymer Processing, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
4.The Key Laboratory for Polymer Processing Engineering of Ministry of Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
5.Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Technique and Equipment for Macromolecular Advanced Manufacturing, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Objective Unstable melt feeding, severe splashing, and insufficient fiber stretching during centrifugal spinning of high-viscosity polymers considerably limit fiber quality and process continuity. To address these issues, this study proposes a hybrid technique combining a jet-guided feeding flange with cyclone-assisted aerodynamic stretching. The jet-guided flange was designed to stabilize melt injection by increasing the initial melt velocity, while the cyclone-induced airflow provides secondary stretching of the semi-solid fibers. The effects of spinning temperature (190‒230 ℃) and centrifugal acceleration (20 000‒60 000 m/s2) on fiber morphology, diameter distribution, crystallinity, and mechanical properties were systematically investigated to identify the optimal processing conditions and elucidate the synergistic mechanism between flow control and aerodynamic stretching. Methods Transient melt flow on an enclosed rotating disk was simulated using ANSYS Fluent with a volume‑of‑fluid (VOF) multiphase model. The melt viscosity was set to 10 000 g/(m·s) at 230 ℃. Two feeding modes, conventional gravity feeding and jet-guided injection, were compared under an identical disk rotation speed of 6 000 r/min. The simulation domain was discretized using hexahedral meshes, with local refinement near the disk surface. Based on the simulation results, spinning experiments were conducted using a custom-built centrifugal spinning apparatus. Polypropylene (PP, MFI = 26.2 g/10 min) was dried at 50 ℃ for 8 h, melted in an extruder (60 r/min; feed rate = 1.0 Hz), and injected into the spinning disk through a jet-guided flange with an exit diameter of 2.00 mm. The spinning temperature and centrifugal acceleration were varied from 190 to 230 ℃ and from 20 000 to 60 000 m/s2, respectively. A cyclone ring was mounted around the disk to generate an external airflow of 10 m/s for secondary stretching. The collected fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy for morphology, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for crystallization behavior, and single-fiber tensile testing for mechanical properties. Results and Discussions Simulation results were used to compare the melt distribution behavior under two feeding modes: with and without jet-guided injection. Without jet-guided injection, the high-viscosity melt accumulated unevenly on the disk surface and exhibited severe splashing when feeding was interrupted. Within 0.007 s after feeding stopped, numerous melt droplets detached from the main body and were thrown toward the disk edge, resulting in significant thickness variations along the circumferential direction. In contrast, with jet-guided injection, the melt maintained a continuous and uniform film along the disk perimeter, with substantially less droplet detachment and splashing. The increased initial velocity imparted by the guiding flange effectively suppressed the rod-climbing effect and stabilized melt feeding, resulting in a more uniform melt distribution across the disk surface. Experimental spinning revealed that spinning temperature and centrifugal acceleration significantly influenced fiber morphology and diameter distribution. At the lowest temperature (190 ℃), the fibers exhibited irregular, ribbon-like morphologies and poor diameter uniformity at all tested centrifugal accelerations. The diameter distribution was broad, with some fibers reaching the nanometer scale while others exceeded 20 μm, indicating highly nonuniform melt stretching. As the temperature increased to 210 ℃, the fiber morphology transitioned from ribbon-like to more cylindrical, and the diameter distribution narrowed considerably, although a small fraction of particulate material remained. At 230 ℃, uniform cylindrical fibers with smooth surfaces were consistently obtained, and the diameter distribution closely followed a Gaussian profile. The effect of centrifugal acceleration on fiber diameter exhibited a nonmonotonic trend at all temperatures. Increasing the acceleration from 20 000 to 40 000 m/s² promoted melt thinning and effectively reduced the fiber diameter. However, a further increase to 60 000 m/s2 caused fiber breakage and re-entanglement of broken segments, resulting in a larger average diameter and the formation of agglomerated particles. Among all tested conditions, 230 ℃ and 40 000 m/s2 consistently produced the finest and most uniform fibers. DSC analysis of the as-spun fibers revealed an upward shift in the crystallization temperature relative to that of the raw PP pellets, indicating that molecular chain orientation was induced by the elongational flow during spinning. The highest crystallization temperature was observed at 40 000 m/s2, suggesting degree of molecular chain alignment. In contrast, excessive acceleration at 60 000 m/s2 resulted in reduced crystallinity, which may be attributed to frequent fiber breakage and subsequent relaxation of the molecular orientation. The introduction of cyclone-assisted stretching further improved fiber quality. Fibers subjected to the external airflow exhibited more uniform diameters and smoother surfaces than those produced without aerodynamic stretching. The additional aerodynamic drawing force enhanced molecular orientation along the fiber axis, while the rapid cooling induced by the airflow helped preserve the oriented chain configuration, thereby improving the mechanical performance of the resulting fibers. Conclusions This study demonstrates that the synergistic combination of jet-guided feeding and cyclone-assisted stretching effectively addresses key challenges in centrifugal spinning of high-viscosity polymers. The jet-guided injection flange stabilizes melt delivery by mitigating the rod-climbing effect and suppressing splashing, while the cyclone-induced airflow provides an additional aerodynamic drawing force that reduces fiber diameter and enhances molecular orientation. Under optimized conditions (230 ℃ and 40 000 m/s2), uniform ultrafine PP fibers with an average diameter of 1.1 μm were successfully produced. Cyclone-assisted stretching further reduced the average diameter to 1.0 μm and increased the single-fiber tensile strength by 2.4-fold. These findings demonstrate that controlled melt feeding and aerodynamic stretching can effectively overcome rheological limitations associated with high-viscosity polymer processing. The proposed approach offers a scalable pathway for producing high-performance ultrafine fibers and provides insights into the role of flow engineering in regulating fiber morphology and enhancing mechanical properties.
XuHuaizhong, YagiS, AshourS,et al.A review on current nanofiber technologies:Electrospinning,centrifugal spinning,and electro‒centrifugal spinning[J].Macromolecular Materials and Engineering,2023,308(3):2200502. doi:10.1002/mame.202200502
[2]
AmarakoonM, AleneziH, Homer‒VanniasinkamS,et al.Environmental impact of polymer fiber manufacture[J].Macromolecular Materials and Engineering,2022,307(11):2200356. doi:10.1002/mame.202200356
[3]
ChenJia, YuZhongxun, LiChenxi,et al.Review of the principles,devices,parameters,and applications for centrifugal electrospinning[J].Macromolecular Materials and Engineering,2022,307(8):2200057. doi:10.1002/mame.202200057
[4]
BierA M, RedelM, SchubertD W.Model to predict polymer fibre diameter during melt spinning[J].Advances in Polymer Technology,2023,2023:7983819. doi:10.1155/2023/7983819
[5]
RogalskiJ J, BottoL, BastiaansenC W M,et al.A study of rheological limitations in rotary jet spinning of polymer nanofibers through modeling and experimentation[J].Journal of Applied Polymer Science,2020,137(33):48963. doi:10.1002/app.48963
[6]
ZhangLinmei, NaritaC, HimedaY,et al.Development of highly oil-absorbent polylactic-acid microfibers with a nanoporous structure via simple one-step centrifugal spinning[J].Separation and Purification Technology,2022,282:120156. doi:10.1016/j.seppur.2021.120156
SubbotinA V, MalkinA Y, KulichikhinV G.The elasticity of polymer melts and solutions in shear and extension flows[J].Polymers,2023,15(4):1051. doi:10.3390/polym15041051
[9]
WangChunming, YangBowen, LiMinghang,et al.Mechanism and performance of polypropylene fiber bundle formation based on annular airflow and hollow ring electrodes[J].Fibers and Polymers,2026,27(5):2485‒2496. doi:10.1007/s12221-026-01335-6
[10]
GuoYongkang, ZhaoFan, RaoBingjun,et al.Centrifugal spinning technology:A study on the innovation of production equipment and the progress of CFD simulation and modelling[J].Journal of Donghua University(Natural Science),2026,52(1):168‒179.
WangXinlong, HuXinpeng, ShiZhanjin,et al.Polypropylene‒based phase change films with enhanced optical properties achieved by hydrophilic coating for remarkable cooling performance[J].Polymer,2025,327:128364. doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2025.128364
NorooziS, HassanzadehH, ArneW,et al.Centrifugal spinning of polymeric solutions:Experiments and modelling[J].Journal of Non‒Newtonian Fluid Mechanics,2023,313:104971. doi:10.1016/j.jnnfm.2022.104971
[15]
KántorJ, FarmosR L, GergelyA L.Optimization of oil sorbent thermoplastic elastomer microfiber production by centrifugal spinning[J].Polymers,2023,15(16):3368. doi:10.3390/polym15163368
[16]
KulichikhinV G, MalkinA Y.The role of structure in polymer rheology:Review[J].Polymers,2022,14(6):1262. doi:10.3390/polym14061262
[17]
MoreR V.A second opinion on the Weissenberg effect:The role of the second normal‒stress difference in rod-climbing effect[J].Physics of Fluids,2026,38(3):033110. doi:10.1063/5.0315965
[18]
TakaradaW, HatanoS, KikutaniT.Experimental and numerical analysis of unstable behavior of melt blowing process[J].Journal of Fiber Science and Technology,2020,76(7):208‒216. doi:10.2115/fiberst.2020-0026
[19]
ChenBoya, WangJiawei, LaiZilong,et al.Modeling of spinning jet behavior and evaluation on fiber morphology for centrifugal spinning[J].The Journal of the Textile Institute,2022,113(7):1438‒1449. doi:10.1080/00405000.2021.1930735
[20]
MalašauskieneJ, MilašiusR, KuchanauskaitėE.Possibilities for the estimation of electrospun nanofibre diameter distribution by normal(Gaussian) distribution[J].Fibres and Textiles in Eastern Europe,2016,24(2(116)):23‒28.
[21]
IppolitoJ, BeachleyV.A vertically translating collection system to facilitate roll‒to‒roll centrifugal spinning of highly aligned polyacrylonitrile nanofibers[J].Discover Materials,2023,3(1):31. doi:10.1007/s43939-023-00067-1
[22]
PrahsarnC, RoungpaisanN, KlinsukhonW,et al.Study on melt spinning of shaped hollow polypropylene fibers[J].International Polymer Processing,2011,26(1):30‒39. doi:10.3139/217.2363
[23]
FangYichen, DulaneyA R, GadleyJ,et al.A comparative parameter study:Controlling fiber diameter and diameter distribution in centrifugal spinning of photocurable monomers[J].Polymer,2016,88:102‒111. doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2016.02.029
[24]
SokkarT Z N, El‒BakaryM A, AzzamA A S,et al.Fractographic characterization of isotactic polypropylene fibers[J].Microscopy Research and Technique,2021,84(5):1022‒1035. doi:10.1002/jemt.23663
[25]
ZhouHongli, TangYufeng, WangZongliang,et al.Cotton-like micro-and nanoscale poly(lactic acid) nonwoven fibers fabricated by centrifugal melt‒spinning for tissue engineering[J].RSC Advances,2018,8(13):6805. doi:10.1039/c8ra90010h
[26]
LuYing, DongLyu, HanCenhui,et al.Molecular weight and distribution dependent critical stress of fragmentation of highly oriented amorphous network in stretched isotactic polypropylene[J].Macromolecules,2023,56(18):7467‒7478. doi:10.1021/acs.macromol.3c00955
[27]
ChenMingjing, SunXiaoxia, WangXinhou.Analysis of crystallization during polypropylene melt‒blown fiber formation[J].Textile Research Journal,2023,93(15/16):3630‒3641. doi:10.1177/00405175231163341
[28]
Hosseini RavandiS A, SadrjahaniM, ValipouriA,et al.Recently developed electrospinning methods:A review[J].Textile Research Journal,2022,92(23/24):5130‒5145. doi:10.1177/00405175211069880
[29]
LimJ, ChoiS, KimH S.Behavior of melt electrospinning/blowing for polypropylene fiber fabrication[J].Polymer International,2023,72(1):120‒125. doi:10.1002/pi.6453
[30]
ChenLiang, LiuJie, ChenJing,et al.New insights into orientation differences between skin and core regions of polyacrylonitrile fibers during pre-stabilization with the stretching process[J].Polymer,2020,210:123043. doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2020.123043
[31]
GuoDongjun, ZhuZhisong, YuanJie.Numerical simulation into influence of airflow channel quantities on melt‒blowing airflow field in processing of polymer fiber[J].e‒Polymers,2023,23:20230126. doi:10.1515/epoly-2023-0126
[32]
YeHao, ZhouLele, ZhouJing,et al.Flow field simulation and experimental study of centrifugal spinning[J].Fibers and Polymers,2024,25(7):2751‒2761. doi:10.1007/s12221-024-00616-2