One-step fabrication of short electrospun fibers using an electric spark

•The one-step fabrication of short fibers by electric spark was developed.•A stable electric spark could be generated by applying high voltage.•The mean of the lengths and diameters of the short fibers was 230 μm and 1 μm.•The theoretical fiber length was calculated using the electric spark frequency.•The theoretical fiber length showed good agreement with the experimental results.

The one-step fabrication process that was developed in this study used an electric spark to produce short electrospun fibers. For this process, a polymer solution of cellulose acetate and organic solvent was ejected from a syringe needle then the electrospun polymer fiber was adhered to a collector plate after it passed through the gap between the tips of two electrodes that generated an electric spark. Short fibers were recognized on the collector plate, although continuous fibers were also observed. The dimensions for the mean lengths and diameters of the prepared short fibers were 230 μm and 1 μm, respectively. The electrospun fiber was stretched by the electric field, and then the thermal energy of the electric spark burned and truncated the short fibers.