Viscoelastic electrospun jets: Initial stresses and elongational rheometry

The results also point at an opportunity to develop an elongational rheometer for concentrated polymeric systems with stretching rates of the order of 100-1000 s−1. The proposed rheometer employs excitation of electrically driven jets by single lateral pulses, and observation of the pulse propagation and widening along the jet. This reveals the level of the longitudinal stresses along the jet and allows evaluation of the viscoelastic Rouse relaxation time, modulus of elasticity and the elongational viscosity in the jet.