Method and apparatus for fabricating a fibre array and structure incorporating a fibre array

Abstract

In a method of electrospinning nanofibres, a non-conductive laminate fibre collection structure () is placed on the surface of a conductive collector (, FIG.). The laminate structure has a base layer () proximal to the collector and a fibre support layer (). A pair of spaced first apertures () and a second aperture () located between them are defined through the fibre support layer (). A pair of spaced third apertures () are defined through the base layer (), each third aperture being aligned with one of the first apertures to define an opening () through the laminate structure. During electro spinning, the fibre is attracted to one of the openings () where it forms a bridge across the respective first aperture (). A charge in the collected fibre builds up until the fibre is repelled and it moves to the nearest lowest potential region which is the second opening on the opposite side of the second aperture (). The nanofibre takes shortest path from the first opening towards the second opening and so creates a fibre which extends across the second aperture (). The process is repeated to build up an array of aligned nanofibres extending across the second aperture.