Scalable Nanomanufacturing of Hierarchical Multicomponent Polymer Assemblies Using Integrated Electrospinning and Microfluidics

Liquid-liquid biphasic complex coacervation occurs when two oppositely charged polymers in salted aqueous solution are mixed and spontaneously separate into one polymer-rich dense phase and one polymer-poor supernatant phase. The use of complex coacervates is widespread in the food and pharmaceutical industries for microencapsulation of molecules and biomolecules. However, the solution process of polymer complex coacervates is slow and limits their industrial application. In this work, we have explored AC-electrospinning to enable rapid and facile manufacturing of polymer coacervate nanofibers for scalable mass production of composite polymer membranes. Distinct from DC-electrospinning, we have found high tunability of AC-electrospinning on the structure of coacervate nanofibers. Specifically, the effects of AC frequency and voltage on the continuous nanofiber formation of two distinct complex coacervates, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-metatungstate coacervate and poly(styrene sulfonate)-branched polyethylenimine (PSS-bPEI) coacervates are investigated to prove the generality of AC-electrospinning complex nanofibers. Furthermore, we explore electrospun PSS-bPEI coacervate materials to remove trace organic contaminants for water treatment.