A method for controlling fiber cross-alignment in a nanofiber membrane, comprising: providing a multiple segment collector in an electrospinning device including a first and second segment electrically isolated from an intermediate segment positioned between the first and second segment, collectively presenting a cylindrical structure, rotating the cylindrical structure around a longitudinal axis proximate to an electrically charged fiber emitter; electrically grounding or charging edge conductors circumferentially resident on the first and second segment, maintaining intermediate collector electrically neutral; dispensing electrospun fiber toward the collector, the fiber attaching to edge conductors and spanning the separation space between edge conductors; attracting electrospun fiber attached to the edge conductors to the surface of the cylindrical structure, forming a first fiber layer; increasing or decreasing rotation speed of the cylindrical structure to alter the angular cross-alignment relationship between aligned nanofibers in adjacent layers, the rotation speed being altered to achieve a target relational angle.

An electrode includes a sintered body made of a powder containing any of a Co-base alloy, a Ni-base alloy, and an Fe-based alloy as the component thereof. The sintered body includes a fine powder having a median diameter of 3.0 m or less and formed in a scaly shape. A specific surface area of the sintered body has a value in a range from 0.8 m.sup.2/g to 10 m.sup.2/g. An electrical resistivity of the sintered body has a value in a range from 3 m.Math.cm to 30 m.Math.cm.

Systems and methods in which the flow of fluid is electrically driven, including electrospinning and electrospraying systems and methods, are generally described.

An alternator, such as for use in an electrostatic spray gun, comprises an electromagnetic alternator, a housing and an impeller. The electromagnetic alternator has a shaft. The electromagnetic alternator is disposed within the housing. The housing has an air aperture. The impeller is mounted to the shaft within the housing so as to be aligned with the air aperture. The impeller includes blades having curved leading and trailing edges. In one embodiment, each blade has a curvature so as to be perpendicular to the air aperture across an entire arc over which each impeller blade has a line of sight of the air aperture.

Electrospraying systems and associated methods are generally described.

A thin-film forming device includes a plurality of electrodes for spraying a thin-film forming material; and a substrate stand disposed to face the plurality of pipe electrodes and which holds a substrate for forming a thin film thereon, where a gas spraying channel for spraying gas for drying the sprayed thin-film forming material is defined in each of the electrodes, and when a gap among neighboring electrodes is denoted by L and a shortest distance to the held substrate from the electrodes is denoted by Z, L and Z satisfy the following inequation Z5L.

An alternator, such as for use in an electrostatic spray gun, comprises an electromagnetic alternator, a housing and an impeller. The electromagnetic alternator has a shaft. The electromagnetic alternator is disposed within the housing. The housing has an air aperture. The impeller is mounted to the shaft within the housing so as to be aligned with the air aperture. The impeller includes blades having curved leading and trailing edges. In one embodiment, each blade has a curvature so as to be perpendicular to the air aperture across an entire arc over which each impeller blade has a line of sight of the air aperture.

A thin film fabricating apparatus includes an electrode part which sprays a thin film material as electrified spray particles, a substrate holder disposed facing the electrode part and holding a substrate to be provided with a thin film, and a mask disposed between the electrode part and the substrate holder and provided with a plurality of pattern grooves, where the mask and the substrate are applied with a mask voltage (Vm) and a substrate voltage (V0), respectively, the mask voltage (Vm) is a variable voltage, and the substrate voltage (V0) has the same polarity as the polarity of spray particles.

A method for controlling fiber cross-alignment in a nanofiber membrane, comprising: providing a multiple segment collector in an electrospinning device including a first and second segment electrically isolated from an intermediate segment positioned between the first and second segment, collectively presenting a cylindrical structure, rotating the cylindrical structure around a longitudinal axis proximate to an electrically charged fiber emitter; electrically grounding or charging edge conductors circumferentially resident on the first and second segment, maintaining intermediate collector electrically neutral; dispensing electrospun fiber toward the collector, the fiber attaching to edge conductors and spanning the separation space between edge conductors; attracting electrospun fiber attached to the edge conductors to the surface of the cylindrical structure, forming a first fiber layer; increasing or decreasing rotation speed of the cylindrical structure to alter the angular cross-alignment relationship between aligned nanofibers in adjacent layers, the rotation speed being altered to achieve a target relational angle.

A method for controlling fiber cross-alignment in a nanofiber membrane, comprising: providing a multiple segment collector in an electrospinning device including a first and second segment electrically isolated from an intermediate segment positioned between the first and second segment, collectively presenting a cylindrical structure, rotating the cylindrical structure around a longitudinal axis proximate to an electrically charged fiber emitter; electrically grounding or charging edge conductors circumferentially resident on the first and second segment, maintaining intermediate collector electrically neutral; dispensing electrospun fiber toward the collector, the fiber attaching to edge conductors and spanning the separation space between edge conductors; attracting electrospun fiber attached to the edge conductors to the surface of the cylindrical structure, forming a first fiber layer; increasing or decreasing rotation speed of the cylindrical structure to alter the angular cross-alignment relationship between aligned nanofibers in adjacent layers, the rotation speed being altered to achieve a target relational angle.