Fabrication and Optimization of Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Zirconium Acetate Electrospun Nanofibers Using Taguchi Experimental Design

This paper presents an investigation regarding poly(vinyl alcohol)/zirconium acetate (organic–inorganic) (PVA/Zrace) nanofibers prepared by electrospinning which could be used as a precursor for fabricating ceramic metal oxide nanofibers. The effect of some processing variables, including polymer solution concentration, tip to collector distance and applied voltage of electrospinning, and the amount of Zrace and their interactions, on the diameter of the nanofibers were studied. Taguchi experimental design and a statistical analysis (ANOVA) were employed and the relationship between experimental conditions and yield levels determined. It was concluded that to obtain a narrow diameter distribution as well as maximum fiber fineness, a polymer concentration of 10 wt%, tip to collector distance of 18 cm and applied voltage of 20 kV variables were the optimum. Furthermore, it was also concluded that the ratio of Zrace (6 g) to PVA solution (10% wt) played an important role for achieving the minimum fiber diameter. Under these optimum conditions, the diameters of the electrospun composite fibers ranged from 86 nm to 381 nm with a diameter average of 193 nm. The experiments were done with Qualitek-4 software with “smaller is better” as the quality characteristics. The optimized conditions showed an improvement in the fibers diameter distribution and the average fibers diameter showed good resemblance with the result predicted using the Taguchi method and the Qualitek-4 software. The ANOVA results showed that all factors had significant effects on the fibers diameter and distribution, but the effect of PVA concentration and zirconium acetate were more significant than the other factors.     

Investigation of microwave absorbing properties for magnetic nanofiber of polystyrene–polyvinylpyrrolidone

Aligned magnetic blend of polystyrene–polyvinylpyrrolidone (PS–PVP) nanofibers were prepared by this method. First, polystyrene–polyvinylpyrrolidone (PS–PVP) blend solution in THF was synthesized. Then magnetic of PS–PVP–Fe₃O₄–polyethylene glycol (PEG) was prepared by masking method. Finally, magnetic nanofiber of PS–PVP–Fe₃O₄–PEG was prepared by electrospinning method, too. An electric potential difference of 25 kV was applied between the collector and a syringe tip, and the distance between the collector and the tip was 13 cm. Fe₃O₄ is exhibit various magnetic properties of which the complex permeability and the permittivity, in particular, are important in determining their high frequency characteristics. The magnetic oxide particles and nanofiber of nanometer size were characterized by TEM and SEM respectively. The thermal properties of nanofibers were determined by TGA and DSC. The magnetic characterization of the fibers was also performed by VSM and AFM techniques. On the other hand, nanofiber with diameters ranging from 30 to 40 nm, showing at room temperature, coercive field values of around 25 kV and saturation magnetization was 1.1 emu/g. Microwave reflection loss of the sample was tested at 8–12 GHz microwave frequencies and the results showed that magnetic nanofiber possessed the microwave absorbing properties.     

Formation of high aspect ratio polyamide-6 nanofibers via electrically induced double layer during electrospinning

In the present study, the formation of high aspect ratio nanofibers in polyamide-6 was investigated as a function of applied voltage ranging from 15 to 25 kV using electrospinning technique. All other experimental parameters were kept constant. The electrospun polyamide-6 nanofibers were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF). FE-SEM images of polyamide-6 nanofibers showed that the diameter of the electrospun fiber was decreased with increasing applied voltage. At the critical applied voltage, the polymer solution was completely ionized to form the dense high aspect ratio nanofibers in between the main nanofibers. The diameter of the polyamide-6 nanofibers was observed to be in the range of 75-110 nm, whereas the high aspect ratio structures consisted of regularly distributed very fine nanofibers with diameters of about 9-28 nm. Trends in fiber diameter and diameter distribution were discussed for the high aspect ratio nanofibers. TEM results revealed that the formation of double layers in polyamide-6 nanofibers and then split-up into ultrafine fibers. The electrically induced double layer in combination with the polyelectrolytic nature of solution is proposed as the suitable mechanisms for the formation of high aspect ratio nanofibers in polyamide-6.     

Electrospun precursor carbon nanofibers optimization by using response surface methodology

Ultrafine fibers were electrospun from Polyacrylonitrile and N,N-dimethylformamide solution to be used as a precursor for carbon nanofibers. An electrospinning set-up was used to collect fibers with diameter ranging from 104 nm to 434 nm. Morphology of fibers and its distribution were investigated by varying Berry's number, charge density, spinning angle, spinneret diameter and collector area. A more systematic understanding of process parameters was obtained and a quantitative relationship between electrospinning parameters and average fiber diameter was established by using response surface methodology. It was concluded that; Berry's number, charge density and spinneret diameters played an important role to the diameter of nanofibers and its standard deviation. Spinning angle and collector area had no significant impact. Based on response surface methodology the optimum Polyacrylonitrile average fiber diameter of 280 nm and 28 nm standard deviation, were collected at 1.6 kV/cm charge density, 8 Berry's number and 0.9 mm spinneret diameter.     

Development of high efficiency nanofilters made of nanofibers

Electrospinning is a fabrication process that uses an electric field to control the deposition of polymer fibers onto a target substrate. This electrostatic processing strategy can be used to fabricate fibrous polymer mats composed of fiber diameters ranging from several microns down to 100 nm or less. In this study, optimized conditions to produce nanofibers using Nylon 6 are investigated and the Nylon 6 nanofilters using nanofibers of 80–200 nm in diameter are designed and evaluated the filtration efficiency and pressure drop across the filter. When the Nylon 6 concentration is 15 wt.%, electrospun fibers have an average diameter of 80 nm, but there are many beads, and the concentration increases to 24 wt.%, the fiber diameter gradually thickens to 200 nm, but there are not any beads. When the spinning distance is small, the thinner nanofibers are produced and the more fibers are collected on the grounded electrode. The filtration efficiency of Nylon 6 nanofilters is 99.993% superior to the commercialized HEPA filter at the face velocity of 5 cm/s using 0.3 μm test particles. Even though the high pressure drops across the nanofilter, they show the potential to have the application of HEPA and ULPA grade high efficiency filter.     

Production of nanofibers by electrospinning under pressurized CO2

Electrospinning is one of the simple technical methods for the production of polymer nanoparticles and nanofibers. Various polymers have been successfully electrospun into ultrafine particles and fibers in recent years mostly in solvent solution and some in melt form. In this work, near- and supercritical CO₂ were used as media for this process. At these conditions, the solubility can be tuned by controlling the temperature and pressure. Therefore, it is possible to form particles and fibers within a thermodynamic window where the biopolymer has been softened, but not dissolved. The experiments were conducted by using electrospinning under pressurized CO₂ system at pressures of ～ 8.0 MPa and temperature of 313 K to produce several polymers fibers. Polyvinylpyrrolidone was used as the starting material. During the electrospinning process, the applied voltage was 10–17 kV and the distance of nozzle and collector was 8 cm. The concentration of polymer solution was 4 wt%. The morphology- and structure-produced fibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that temperature and pressure affected the morphology of fibers produced by electrospinning in pressurized CO₂. This suggests that the thermal behavior of the polymer can be optimized by adjusting the polymer through the adjustment of pressure and temperature by using CO₂ as a solvent.     

Influence of morphology on the emissive properties of dye-doped PVP nanofibers produced by electrospinning

Dye-doped polymer micro- and nanofibers with tailored light emission properties have great potential for applications in optical, optoelectronic, or photonic devices. In this study, these types of structures were obtained by electrospinning rhodamine 6 G-doped polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) using a polymer solution of 10% (mass) concentration in ethanol. Polymer nanofibers with different morphologies (smooth and beaded) and diameters of about 500 nm were obtained using different electrospinning conditions with the same solutions. Fluorescence optical microscopy observations showed that the dye was distributed uniformly in the doped PVP nanofibers. Different shifts were observed when we compared the wavelength of the dye emission band peak of the smooth nanofibers (566 nm) and the wavelength of the dye emission band peak of the beaded fibers (561.5 nm) produced by electrospinning in different conditions with the wavelength of the emission band peak for transparent thin films produced by spin coating (558 nm) using the same polymer solution. This demonstrates that it is possible to tune the optical properties of electrospun dye-doped polymer nanofibers simply by modifying the morphology of the material, i.e., the parameters of the electrospinning process.     

Facile Synthesis via Electrospinning of a Tetraethoxysilane/Polyvinylpyrrolidone Sol and Characterization of Ultrafine Crystalline SiO2 Nanofibers

Silica nanofibers were developed by a combination of an electrospinning technique and the sol–gel method. In the process, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) were the components of the sol for the production of silica/PVP composite nanofibers by electrospinning. During a thermal treatment, PVP in the hybrid fibers was removed; in this way, we produced ultrafine crystalline silica nanofibers. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analyzer, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the nanofibers. These silica nanofibers should be potentially useful in catalyst support, adsorbent, energy storage, and gas storage applications.     

Fabrication of nanochannels via near-field electrospinning

A simple and low-cost method is suggested to fabricate nanochannels via Near-Field Electrospinning (NFES). In this process, orderly and patterned nanofibers direct-written by NFES are used as sacrificial templates. Well-defined nanochannels are available after the removal process of both sacrificial fibers and material coating over the fibers. The sacrificial fiber, controlled by NFES, dominates the channel geometry. The channel width ranges from 133 nm to 13.54?μm while the applied voltage increases from 1.2 kV to 2.5 kV. Complicated wave-shape and grid pattern channels are presented under a corresponding movement of substrate. This method integrates electrospinning with conventional MEMS fabrication technology and has a potential in micro/nano manufacturing.     

The impact of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride on electrospinning process of SAN polymer solutions and electrospun fiber morphology

The aim of this research was to investigate how addition of IL [Bmim]Cl¹ into SAN² solution in 1,2-DCE³ will influence electrospinning variables, stability of process and morphology of obtained nanofibers and find out the appropriate way of utilizing [Bmim]Cl in the electrospinning process. The solutions of pure SAN in 1,2-DCE of different concentrations (10–20%) and solutions with different concentrations (0.5–20%) of IL were spun at different variables (10–20 cm and 10–20 kV). All results were investigated by optical and SEM microscopy. Also solution parameters like electrical conductivity, surface tension and viscosity were measured and their effect on the obtained fibers morphology estimated.     

Fabrication and formation mechanism of closed-loop fibers by electrospinning with a tip collector

Electrospun nanofibers with designed or controlled structures have drawn much attention. In this study, we report an interesting new closed-loop structure in individual cerium nitrate/polyvinyl alcohol(Ce(NO_3)_3/PVA) and Na Cl/PVA fibers,which are fabricated by electrospinning with a nail collector. The electrospinning parameters such as voltage and Ce(NO_3)_3(or Na Cl) concentration are examined for the formation of the closed-loop structure. The results suggest that the increase of the spinning voltage or addition of Ce(NO_3)_3(or Na Cl) is favorable for the formation of the closed-loop structure, and the increase of loop numbers and the decrease of loop size. Further analyses indicate that the formation mechanism of the closed-loop fibers can be predominantly attributed to the Coulomb repulsion in the charged jets.     

Electrospun fluorescein/polymer composite nanofibers and their photoluminescent properties

Fluorescein/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) composite nanofibers with different fluorescein loadings (with a weight concentration of 0-5.0%) are fabricated via electrospinning. Morphologies, structures and photoluminescent (PL) properties of these straight, helical or wavelike fibers are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence microscopy and a spectrophotometer. It is found that the maximum emission of the as-spun fluorescein/PVP fibers occurs at 510 nm. The PL intensity of the composite fiber increases with fluorescein concentration, then fluorescence quenching appears when the concentration reaches 1.67%. The mechanism of fluorescence quenching of fluorescein is discussed. In addition, the composite fibers exhibit a much stronger PL intensity than fluorescein/PVP bulk film owing to larger specific surface area, which makes them promising materials for biomedical applications such as probes and sensors.     

Fabrication and characterization of bismuth oxide–holmia nanofibers and nanoceramics

In this article, a novel and simple method to produce both boron doped and undoped holmia stabilized bismuth oxide nanoceramic materials has been put forward. Boron doped and undoped poly (vinyl alcohol)/bismuth–holmia acetate nanofibers were produced using the electrospinning technique and were calcined at 850 °C afterward in order to obtain nanopowder. The characteristics of the nanofibers were investigated with FT-IR, XRD, and SEM. XRD analyses showed that boron undoped holmia stabilized bismuth oxide nanopowders have the face-centered cubic structure (δ-phase), and that the incorporation of boron atoms into the composite prevents the nucleus formation and turns the structure into a more amorphous glassy form. The SEM micrographs of the fibers showed that the addition of boron results in the formation of cross-linked bright-surfaced fibers. The average fiber diameters for electrospun boron doped and undoped PVA/Bi–Ho acetate nanofibers were calculated using the ImageJ software as 102 nm and 171 nm, respectively.     

Electrospinning preparation and photophysical properties of one-dimensional (1D) composite nanofibers doped with erbium(III) complexes

1D composite nanofibers of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP, M_W≈60,000) doped with three Er(III) complexes were prepared by electrospinning. They demonstrated strong near-infrared (NIR) photoluminescence (PL) at 1535 nm and ternary Er(TTA)₃Phen (denoted as Er2, where TTA=2-thenoyltrifluoroacetonate; Phen=1,10-phenanthroline) fibers (Er2/PVP) exhibited maximum PL intensity. The crystal structure of Er2 complex has been determined by X-ray diffraction measurements. Er2 doped in fibers exhibited better thermal stability of NIR PL than the pure Er2 complex. These luminescent composite fibers have potential application in optical amplifiers.     

“荧光-1”实验装置研制与调试

荧光-1是一套分时放电的大电流脉冲功率实验装置,主要用于反场构形预加热磁化等离子体靶（FRC）形成的物理过程、高温高密度磁化等离子体约束特性等研究,未来可作为磁化靶聚变研究的等离子体注入器。主要介绍该实验装置的构成及其调试实验结果,并简要描述在该装置上开展的FRC等离子体靶初步物理实验进展。调试实验结果表明,荧光-1实验装置初始磁场、磁镜、气体电离、箍缩分系统的放电电流/磁场或感应电场可分别达到110 kA/0.3 T,10 kA/1.2 T,400 kA/0.25 kV/cm,1.7 MA/3.4 T。初步物理实验获得的FRC等离子体靶参数为:靶分界面半径约4 cm、等离子体密度3.51016 cm-3、等离子体温度约200 eV、靶寿命约3 s,同时清晰地观察到了FRC靶形成物理过程。分幅相机获取图像与二维磁流体程序计算图像基本吻合,验证了该装置的物理设计思路,也展示了该装置具备的物理实验能力。     

SiO2纳米粒子在毛细管电泳分离蛋白质中的应用

将SiO2纳米粒子作为添加剂用于溶菌酶、牛血清白蛋白、牛血红蛋白的毛细管电泳(CE)分离研究.对影响3种蛋白质分离的因素如缓冲溶液的浓度,SiO2纳米粒子、聚合物PVP、乙腈的含量,及分离电压、温度等进行了考察,得到最佳分离条件,即50mmol/L NaH2PO4-10mmol/L H3PO4缓冲溶液(pH=2.8),...     

Electrospinning of Continuous,Large Area,Latticework Fiber onto Two‐Dimensional Pin‐array Collectors

The fiber spinning technique of electrospinning has been optimized in order to prepare unidirectionally aligned and structurally oriented fibers. For this paper, we designed a new device based on a 2D period collector fabrication and electrostatic fields analysis to obtain a large area latticework fibers pattern. The pattern was composed of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)‐based sub‐micron fibers with diameters ranging from 910 nm to 1300 nm, which have potential applications in tissue cell cultures.     

Probe Measurements of Parameters of Streamers of Nanosecond Frequency Crown Discharge

Investigations of the parameters of single streamers of nanosecond frequency corona discharge, creating a voluminous low-temperature plasma in extended coaxial electrode systems, are performed. Measurements of the parameters of streamers were made by an isolated probe situated on the outer grounded electrode. Streamers were generated under the action of voltage pulses with a front of 50–300 ns, duration of 100–600 ns, and amplitude up to 100 kV at the frequency of 50–1000 Hz. The pulse voltage, the total current of the corona, current per probe, and glow in the discharge gap were recorded in the experiments. It was established that, at these parameters of pulse voltage, streamers propagate at an average strength of the electric field of 4–10 kV/cm. Increasing the pulse amplitude leads to an increase in the number of streamers hitting the probe, an increase in the average charge of the head of a streamer, and, as a consequence, an increase in the total streamer current and the energy introduced into the gas. In the intervals up to 3 cm, streamer breakdown at an average field strength of 5–10 kV/cm is possible. In longer intervals, during the buildup of voltage after generation of the main pulse, RF breakdown is observed at Е_av ≈ 4 kV/cm.     

Optical characteristics of a transverse volume discharge in a helium-hydrogen chloride mixture

The emission characteristics of a transverse volume discharge in a He: HCl = 10: 1 mixture at a total pressure of 1–8 kPa were investigated. The plasma volume was 18 × 2.2 × 1 cm³, the interelectrode distance was d=2.2 cm, and the charging voltage of the main storage capacitor was 5–10 kV. The emission characteristics of the discharge were studied in the spectral range of 500–1000 nm. This type of discharge can be used in pulsed dry-etching plasmochemical reactors. The density of atomic chlorine radicals in the plasma was optimized in terms of the pressure of the initial working He-HCl mixture by measuring the relative radiation intensity of the Cl 837(5)-nm spectral line. The density of molecular radicals can be monitored indirectly by recording radiation from the excited chlorine-free decomposition products of HCl molecules (the H_α 656-nm line).     

Leakage currents in ferroelectric thin films

The main mechanisms of leakage currents in thin lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ferroelectric films prepared by the sol–gel method are discussed. Four specific regions are determined in I–V dependencies. At very weak fields (10–20 kV/cm), the current falls with the voltage increase as a result of depolarization. In the low fields region (about 70–100 kV/cm), the leakage current decreases with the decrease of voltage ramp speed and its components are the ohmic and displacement currents. In the high fields region (≥130 kV/cm), the leakage current increases with the decrease of step voltage ramp in contrast to the previous case. Possible conductivity mechanisms are the Poole– Frenkel emission and hopping conduction. In the transition region between above-mentioned ones (from 80–90 to ～130 kV/cm), an abrupt unstable increase of current is observed caused by breakdown of reverse bias Schottky barrier. Depolarization currents are studied for sol–gel PZT films prepared at different preparation conditions.