Solvent and concentration effects on the properties of electrospun poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanofiber mats

This study describes the preparation and characterization of nanofibrous mats obtained by electrospinning poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) solutions in trifluoroacetic acid/dichloromethane (TFA/DCM). Special attention was paid to the effect of polymer concentration and solvent properties on the morphology, structure, and mechanical and thermal properties of the electrospun nonwovens. The results show that the spinnable concentration of PET solution in TFA/DCM solvents is above 10 wt %. Mats have nanofibrous morphology with fibers having an average diameter in the range of 200–700 nm (depending on polymer concentration and solvent composition) and an interconnected pore structure. Higher solution concentration favors the formation of uniform fibers without beads and with higher diameter. Morphology and fiber assembly changed with the solvent properties. Solvent mixtures rich in TFA, i.e., those with higher dielectric constant and lower surface tension, originated fibers with small diameter. However, due to the lower volatility, those solvent mixtures also produced more branched and crosslinking fibers, with less morphologic uniformity. Mechanical properties (Young's modulus, ultimate strength, and elongation at break) and thermal properties (glass transition, crystallization, and melting) have been studied for the PET electrospun nanomats and compared with those of the original polymer. Solvent effect on fiber crystallinity was not significant, but a complex effect was observed on the mechanical properties of the electrospun mats, as a consequence of the different structural organization of the fibers within the mat network. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 460–471, 2008     

Electrospun Casein fibers obtained from revalued milk with mechanical and antibacterial properties

The present study describes the harnessing of revalued cow milk (denoted as waste milk) for fabricating casein fibers (CAS) with enhanced mechanical performance and antibacterial properties by the electrospinning method. For this purpose, polyethylene oxide (PEO) was employed (10 and 20 wt%) as a binder for the appropriate electrospun CAS fibers. Different amount of tannic acid (TA) was incorporated into casein/polyethylene oxide fibers (CAS/PEO) as a crosslinker agent, bringing filaments with a diameter of ca. 2 µm. The incorporation of 4 wt% of TA promotes the fibers' reticulation, forming a stable three-dimensional network. Also, the mechanical performance of CAS/PEO fibers was improved, where the tensile strength was increased from 0.91 MPa to 1.88 MPa with 4 % of TA, while the breaking elongation was increased from 93.74 % to 274.56 %. This behavior benefits the processing of fibers by electrospinning. Furthermore, the TA addition during the electrospun of CAS/PEO fibers enhances fibers' wettability properties and thermal stability induced by the crosslinker agent. Additionally, the antibacterial activity (AA) test demonstrates that CAS fibers can inhibit the growth of Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli after 0.5 h, 1.5 h, 3 h, and 24 h of contact, which is generated by the TA addition. Our results suggest that the electrospun fabrication of CAS/PEO fibers with TA as a crosslinker agent represents an innovative harnessing of waste milk to produce functional textiles with potential biological application.     

Solvent Influences the Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Electrospun Poly(L-lactic acid) Scaffold for Tissue Engineering Applications

Electrospun micro- and nanofiber scaffolds have gained interest in biomedical applications, especially in tissue engineering, because they can be used to reproduce the structure of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of natural tissue. The selection of the solvent is an important factor which affects the diameter, the surface morphology and the crystallinity of the electrospun fibers, and, accordingly, their mechanical properties as well as their degradation kinetics. Furthermore, the surface morphology of the electrospun fibres can be controlled by solvent vapour pressure to produce porous structures which might be helpful for cell adhesion and proliferation. In the present work, poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) has been electrospun using solvents with different vapour pressures to investigate the influences of the solvent vapour pressure on morphology, diameter, crystallinity and mechanical properties of the electrospun fiber scaffolds. The results show that the vapour pressure of the solvents (or solvent mixtures) play an important role in the fiber diameter and crystallinity. Furthermore, the crystallinity of the fibers is increased by lowering the vapour pressure of the used solvent. In addition, the mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength and Young's modulus) are strongly dependent on morphological features such average fibers diameter. The smaller the average diameter, the higher the tensile strength and Young's modulus.     

Cellulose-based fibers from liquid–crystalline solutions. II. Processing and morphology of acetate/butyrate esters

Fibers were spun from isotropic and anisotropic dimethylacetamide solutions of cellulose esters. Take-up speeds of the dry jet/wet spinning process varied. Water served as the coagulant. The mechanical properties of the fibers increased as spinning progressed from the isotropic to the anisotropic state of the solution. A trade-off in solubility and fiber properties was noted as the butyryl acetyl ratio decreased. Whereas high butyryl content enhances both overall solubility and the formation of liquid–crystalline solutions at lower concentration, it results in lower fiber modulus and strength. Morphology of the fibers depended on the coagulation rate which was influenced by the concentration of the sppinning solution. The level of orientation and crystallinity of the fibers increased somewhat when they were spun from liquid-crystalline solutions. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

二氧化碳-环氧丙烷共聚物电纺纤维形貌研究

利用电纺丝技术制备了二氧化碳环氧丙烷共聚物超细纤维,研究了喷丝口电势、纺丝距离、浓度、溶剂等因素对纤维形貌、直径及均一性的影响.实验结果表明,利用电纺丝法可以制备直径在小于200nm到7μm二氧化碳环氧丙烷共聚物纤维;喷丝口电势和浓度对于共聚物电纺丝纤维是否形成串珠结构有重要影响;电势、距离和纺丝液浓度都对纤维直径及分散系数有较大影响,在一定范围内,随着喷丝口电势增加,纤维平均直径变大而分散系数变小;纺丝距离增大使得纤维平均直径变小,分散系数变大;浓度的增大使得纤维平均直径变大,分散系数变小;不同溶剂配制的溶液体系制备的电纺丝纤维形貌有很大差异,在二氯甲烷和丁酮的体系中,分别观察到了两组较为集中的直径分布.     

Gel spinning of poly(vinyl alcohol) from dimethyl sulfoxide/water mixture

Gel spinning of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was attempted from the PVA dope prepared from the mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and water. The DMSO/H₂O = 80/20 (w/w) mixture and methanol were found to be the best solvent for the spinning dope and the coagulant, respectively, to give PVA fiber with the highest drawability. PVA fiber with the highest strength and Young's modulus were obtained from the undrawn gel fibers when subjected to hot two-stage drawing under conditions such as to produce maximum drawability. Furthermore, higher draw ratios of PVA fiber were attained at 6 wt % dope by lowering the coagulating temperature of methanol. In the present work, the highest tensile strength (2.8 GPa) and the highest Young's modulus (64 GPa) were realized, when the spinning dope was prepared from PVA with DP of 5,000 and the DMSO/H₂O (80/20) mixed solvent to have the PVA concentration of 6 wt %, the coagulating temperature of methanol was ?20°C, and the two-stage drawing was carried out at 160 (first) and 200°C (second). The PVA fiber prepared under this gel spinning condition could be elongated to 45 times draw ratio. The very high drawability of PVA fibers obtained from the DMSO/H₂O (80/20) mixture dope was ascribed to the ability of the DMSO/H₂O mixture to promote gelation. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structure and nanomechanical characterization of electrospun PS/clay nanocomposite fibers

Electrospinning has been emerging as one of the most efficient methods to fabricate polymer nanofibers. In this paper, PS/clay nanocomposite fibers with varying diameters were electrospun onto solid substrates. The fiber diameters were adjusted from 4 microm to 150 nm by changing the solution concentration. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the fiber morphology. Shear modulation force microscopy (SMFM) was utilized to investigate the surface nanomechanical properties of electrospun fibers as a function of the fiber diameter and temperature. In the absence of clay, no change in T(g) was observed, even though a large increase of shear modulus below the glass transition temperature was found. This effect was postulated to result from the molecular chain alignment during electrospinning. The addition of functionalized clays to the spinning solution produced fibers with a highly aligned montmorillonite layer structure at a clay concentration of 4 wt %. Clay agglomerates were observed at higher concentrations. The existence of clay further enhanced the shear modulus of fibers and increased the glass transition temperature by nearly 20 degrees C.     

Preparation of electrospun nanofibers from solutions of different gelatin types using a benign solvent mixture composed of water/PBS/ethanol

The feasibility of using phosphate buffer saline (PBS)/ethanol mixtures as a benign solvent to electrospin three types of gelatin was studied. Gelatins with different chemical properties, such as Bloom, were selected and the effect of the gelatin nature and its concentration on the electrospinnability of the dope solution and on the fiber diameter of the electrospun mats were studied. Viscosity of the gelatin solution, which follows a power law relationship with the gelatin concentration, was found to significantly influence the morphology of the mats and the fiber diameter. It was demonstrated that the PBS/ethanol solvent interacted with the gelatins as a good solvent with a Flory exponent of 0.65. In addition, the effect of the solvent composition on the fiber formation process was evaluated corroborating that the ionic strength of the medium and the PBS/ethanol ratio significantly affected the morphology and the diameter of the electrospun fibers. Chemical structure and thermal stability of the electrospun gelatin mats were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Finally, cytotoxicity of the electrospun mats was analyzed by the Alamar Blue assay, using human foreskin fibroblasts (BJ‐5ta), resulting in a high cell viability (80–90%) regardless the type of gelatin. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dual crosslinked keratin-alginate fibers formed via ionic complexation of amide networks with improved toughness for assembling into braids

With the dwindling of petroleum resources worldwide, there is an immediate need for a renewable, environment friendly, cost effective and sustainable bio-resource in the textile industry. Here, we report a dual crosslinked fiber (DCF) derived from renewable biopolymers. In this study, keratin was extracted from bio-waste of chicken feathers with a thiol content of 0.172 mM. The extracted keratin was used to prepare dope with alginate at different ratios and N-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride via amide linkages. The formation of covalently crosslinked dope was evidenced from FTIR and ninhydrin assay. The dope was then extruded in calcium bath to produce fibers with uniform diameter wherein the calcium ions were used to ionically crosslink the covalently crosslinked dope. The resulting dual crosslinked fibers were characterized in terms of chemical composition, surface morphology, mechanical properties, thermal degradation, and swelling. The strength, modulus and toughness of the dual crosslinked fibers were substantially improved by 27%, 20%, and 33% respectively than that of control alginate fiber. The gravimetric toughness of the optimised dual crosslinked fiber (724 J g⁻¹) was much higher than the values reported for Kevlar (78 J g⁻¹). We further assembled the dual crosslinked fibers into complex braided architectures using the textile techniques, demonstrating the flexibility of the fibers. We believe that this preliminary work of sustainable fiber production could open new insights into eco-friendly organic textile manufacturing and for tissue engineering applications.     

Polyaniline/poly(methyl methacrylate) coaxial fibers: The fabrication and effects of the solution properties on the morphology of electrospun core fibers

Electrically conductive polyaniline (PANi)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) coaxial fibers were prepared through the chemical deposition of PANi onto preformed PMMA fibers via in situ polymerization. PMMA fibers were prepared as core materials via electrospinning. Spectral studies and scanning electron microscopy observations indicated the formation of PANi/PMMA coaxial fibers with a diameter of approximately 290 nm and a PANi layer thickness of approximately 30 nm. The conductivity of the PANi/PMMA coaxial fibers was significantly higher than that of electrospun fibers of PANi/poly(ethylene oxide) blends and blend cast films of the same PANi composition. To reproducibly generate uniform‐core polymer fibers, the organic solution properties that affected the morphology and diameter of the electrospun fibers were investigated. The polymer molecular weight, solution concentration, solvent dielectric constant, and addition of soluble organic salts were strongly correlated to the morphology of the electrospun fiber mat. In particular, the dielectric constants of the solvents substantially influenced both the fiber diameter and bead formation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3934–3942, 2004     

Structure and properties of regenerated cellulose fibers from aqueous NaOH/thiourea/urea solution

Regenerated cellulose fibers were successfully prepared through dissolving cotton linters in NaOH/thiourea/urea aqueous solution at ?2 °C by a twin-screw extruder and wet-spinning process at varying precipitation and drawing conditions. The dissolution process of an optimized 7 wt% cellulose was controlled by polarizing microscopy and resulted in a transparent and stable cellulose spinning dope. Rheological investigations showed a classical shear thinning behavior of the cellulose/NaOH/thiourea/urea solution and a good stability towards gelation. Moreover, the mechanical properties, microstructures and morphology of the regenerated cellulose fibers were studied extensively by single fiber tensile testing, X-ray diffraction, synchrotron X-ray investigations, birefringence measurements and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Resulting fibers demonstrated a smooth surface and circular cross-section with homogeneous morphological structure as compared with commercial viscose rayon. At optimized jet stretch ratio, acidic coagulation composition and temperature, the structural features and tensile properties depend first of all on the drawing ratio. In particular the crystallinity and orientation of the novel fibers rise with increasing draw ratio up to a maximum followed by a reduction due to over-drawing and oriented crystallites disruption. The microvoids in the fiber as analysed with SAXS were smaller and more elongated with increasing drawing ratio. Moreover, a higher tensile strength (2.22 cN/dtex) was obtained in the regenerated fiber than that of the viscose rayon (2.13 cN/dtex), indicating higher crystallinity and orientation, as well as more elongated and orientated microvoid in the regenerated fiber. All in all, the novel extruder-based method is beneficial with regard to the dissolution temperature and a simplified production process. Taking into account the reasonable fiber properties from the lab-trials, the suggested dissolution and spinning route may offer some prospects as an alternative cellulose processing route.     

Alignment effect of attapulgite on the mechanical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)/attapulgite nanocomposite fibers

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/attapulgite (AT) nanocomposite fibers have been prepared by wet spinning. The morphology and mechanical properties of the modified PVA fibers have been characterized with transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), birefringence measurements, and mechanical testing. The PVA/AT nanocomposite fibers show much higher tensile strength, initial modulus, and work to break than pure PVA fibers with the same draw ratio. SEM observations demonstrate that the AT nanorods can align orderly along the fiber axis by stretching and have good adhesion to the fiber matrix. The results of birefringence measurements prove that the modified fibers have higher orientation than pure PVA fibers after stretching. The results of DSC analysis indicate that the crystallinity of the PVA fibers can be increased by the addition of AT. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1995–2000, 2006     

Analysis of regenerated cellulose fibers with ionic liquids as a solvent as spinning speed is increased

In order to improve the spinning efficiency, the spinning experiments with cellulose/1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride solution were done whilst increasing spinning speed. It was found that the tenacity and initial modulus of regenerated cellulose fibers increased but the elongation at break decreased slightly with increasing spinning speed at constant draw ratio. Further, the synchrotron wide-angle X-ray diffraction and small-angle X-ray scattering were carried out to illustrate the relationship between the structure and the mechanical properties. It was shown that the crystal orientation, crystallinity, amorphous orientation factor as well as orientation of the microvoids along the fiber increased with the spinning speed as the diameter of the microvoids in the fiber decreased. From the analysis of the spinline stress, it is clear that the spinline stress increased when both extruding and draw speed increased at constant draw ratio. This resulted in the improvement of supramolecular structure and mechanical properties of the regenerated cellulose fibers.     

Structure and properties of novel fibers spun from cellulose in NaOH/thiourea aqueous solution

Cellulose was dissolved rapidly in a NaOH/thiourea aqueous solution (9.5:4.5 in wt.-%) to prepare a transparent cellulose solution, which was employed, for the first time, to spin a new class of regenerated cellulose fibers by wet spinning. The structure and mechanical properties of the resulting cellulose fibers were characterized, and compared with those of commercially available viscose rayon, cuprammonium rayon and Lyocell fibers. The results from wide angle X-ray diffraction and CP/MAS 13C NMR indicated that the novel cellulose fibers have a structure typical for a family II cellulose and possessed relatively high degrees of crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy images revealed that the cross-section of the fibers is circular, similar to natural silk. The new fibers have higher molecular weights and better mechanical properties than those of viscose rayon. This low-cost technology is simple, different from the polluting viscose process. The dissolution and regeneration of the cellulose in the NaOH/thiourea aqueous solutions were a physical process and a sol-gel transition rather than a chemical reaction, leading to the smoothness and luster of the fibers. This work provides a potential application in the field of functional fiber manufacturing.     

电纺聚氧化乙烯纤维的分散形态和结晶行为研究

将聚氧化乙烯(PEO)水溶液在不同的工艺条件下进行电纺,制备了PEO纤维.用SEM研究了纤维的分散形态;用DSC和XRD研究了纤维的结晶性能.电纺纤维分散形态是由浓度、电压、固化距离等因素综合作用的结果.其中,浓度是最关键的因素.降低溶液浓度,提高静电压和增加固化距离均会使纤维变细.电纺得到的纤维与原粉相比,电纺使纤维结晶度下降,理论上分析了可能的机理.     

Thermomechanical and structural characterization of polybutadiene/poly(ethylene oxide)/CNT stretchable electrospun fibrous membranes

It is difficult to produce rubbery polymer nanofibers, that is, polybutadiene, by the method of electrospinning, since during electrospinning rubbery polymer fibers join and entangles due to their low T_g. For this reason, it is not easy to achieve the fiber form out of these polymers. Homogeneously electrospun carbon nanotubes (CNT)‐filled polybutadiene (PBu) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) composite elastomeric fibers exhibit distinctive physical features such as uniform fiber diameter and distribution with significant improvements in thermomechanical properties. Controlled hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity with the components allows to generate homogenous, thermally stable and stretchable bio‐composite scaffold, and fibrous antibacterial membrane scaffolds out of PBu/PEO/CNT composite. We have combined the exciting properties of PEO with high pore density with the rubber elasticity of PBu via dissolving them in a dichloromethane/ethyl acetate organic solvent, and subsequently producing electrospun woven fibers with different PBu/PEO ratios. Frequency‐dependent thermomechanical characterization via dynamic mechanical analysis reveals pronounced changes in the onset and extent of melting, as well as the storage and loss modulus values at the onset of melting, in particular when small amounts (1.25% by wt%) of CNTs are present. The characteristic bands were detected for the PBu/PEO and PBu/PEO/CNT samples by means of Raman and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy. CNT addition increases the hydrophobicity via the increase in roughness as attained by atomic force microscopy.     

Controlling electrospun nanofiber morphology and mechanical properties using humidity

Electrospinning is a fiber spinning technique used to produce nanoscale polymeric fibers with superior interconnectivity and specific surface area. The fiber diameter, surface morphology, and mechanical strength are important properties of electrospun fibers that can be tuned for diverse applications. In this study, the authors investigate how the humidity during electrospinning influences these specific properties of the fiber mat. Using two previously uninvestigated polymers, poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) and polysulfone (PSU) dissolved in N,N‐Dimethylformamide (DMF), experimental results show that increasing humidity during spinning causes an increase in fiber diameter and a decrease in mechanical strength. Moreover, surface features such as roughness or pores become evident when electrospinning in an atmosphere with high relative humidity (RH). However, PAN and PSU fibers are affected differently. PAN has a narrower distribution of fiber diameter regardless of the RH, whereas PSU has a wider and more bimodal distribution under high RH. In addition, PSU fibers spun at high humidity exhibit surface pores and higher specific surface area whereas PAN fibers exhibit an increased surface roughness but no visible pores. These fiber morphologies are caused by a complex interaction between the nonsolvent (water), the hygroscopic solvent (DMF), and the polymer. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

湿法纺制石墨烯纤维：工艺、结构、性能与智能应用

石墨烯纤维是由石墨烯片层通过组装过程形成的宏观一维材料。其具有较好的耐热性、导热性、导电性以及轻质高强等优点,是实现高品质、功能化纤维的重要突破口。石墨烯纤维在超轻导线、可穿戴储能、传感、生物电极等领域具有广阔应用前景。目前,湿法纺制技术是石墨烯纤维的最主要制备手段,与现有的化学纤维制备过程兼容,是最有望实现规模化制备高品质石墨烯纤维的技术。本文首先介绍了湿法纺制石墨烯纤维工艺中的关键步骤,重点讨论了制备技术与石墨烯纤维结构之间的关系。论述了提升纤维性能的相关策略,总结了石墨烯纤维在功能/智能纤维领域应用。并对提升石墨烯纤维性能的关键问题进行总结阐述,展望了石墨烯纤维的发展前景。     

PVA微晶交联和SA/PAA双网络协效增强增韧SA纤维

为了提高海藻酸钠(SA)纤维的断裂强度和断裂伸长率,以丙烯酸(AA)为化学交联组分,SA为离子交联组分,聚乙烯醇(PVA)为微晶交联组分,采用湿法纺丝和冻融循环方法制备含有PVA微晶交联点和海藻酸钠/聚丙烯酸(SA/PAA)双网络结构的海藻酸钠/聚丙烯酸/聚乙烯醇(SA/PAA/PVA)复合纤维。通过流变性能、力学性能、红外光谱、X射线衍射仪(XRD)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)测试研究了交联剂N,N-亚甲基双丙烯酰胺(MBA)含量和PVA微晶交联对SA/PAA/PVA纺丝原液和复合纤维的结构与性能的影响。结果表明,当MBA质量分数为0. 5%时,纺丝原液的损耗模量(G″)最小,可纺性最好,复合纤维的断裂强度达到2. 83 cN/dtex,断裂伸长率达到9. 38%,比再生SA纤维分别提高了15. 98%和38. 96%; PVA冷冻之后形成微晶交联点并且PAA和PVA已经复合到体系中; PAA和PVA的加入提高了复合纤维的结晶度;复合纤维的表面形貌趋于光滑和规整,纤维断面更加致密。     

再生蚕丝的制备及其结构和性能初探

在制备高浓度高分子量蚕丝素蛋白水溶液的基础上, 采用湿法纺丝技术, 在一定条件下纺制出力学性能优于天然蚕(茧)丝的再生蚕丝纤维, 其断裂强度及断裂伸长率分别达到0.5 GPa和20%. 扫描电镜观察结果显示: 初生纤维具有典型的“皮芯”结构, 而纤维内部则为疏松多孔的网状或蜂窝状结构; 经过一定的后拉伸处理后, 纤维的表面变得光滑, 且内部结构也趋于致密. 固体 13C核磁共振及拉曼光谱分析结果表明, 后拉伸及热湿处理均有利于提高纤维内部β-折叠结构的含量, 分子链的规整度和取向性也随之改善, 从而使再生蚕丝纤维的力学性能得到进一步提高.