Melt blowing

The randomly deposited fibers form a nonwoven sheet product applicable for filtration, sorbents, apparels and drug delivery systems.

Choosing an appropriate combination of polymers with optimized rheological and surface properties, scientists have been able to produce melt-blown fibers with an average diameter as small as 36 nm.

[1] During volcanic activity a fibrous material may be drawn by vigorous wind from molten basaltic magma called Pele's hair.

The first research on melt blowing was a naval attempt in the US to produce fine filtration materials for radiation measurements on drone aircraft in the 1950s.

[12] The high drug throughput rate (extrusion feeding), solvent-free operation and increased surface area of the product make melt blowing a promising new formulation technique.

Melt blowing process
Microscopic image of the outer layer of a surgical mask, made from melt blown polymer filaments