Wrinkled surface topographies of electrospun polymer fibers

Electrospun polymer fibers are shown to have wrinkled surface topographies that result from buckling instabilities during processing. A glassy shell forms on the surface of the gel-like core during solvent evaporation; continued evaporation leads to a contraction mismatch between the core and shell that triggers buckling of the shell. The wrinkled topographies are quantified in terms of the critical buckling wave number and wavelength. The results explain the observed wrinkled topographies and provide a framework for designing fibers with high specific surface areas and textured/patterned surface topographies to enhance surface dominated properties in fibers and fibrous mats.