Effects of solvent on structures and properties of electrospun poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers

• Published in: Journal of applied polymer science Vol. 135; no. 5
• Main Authors: Song, Zhe, Chiang, Sum Wai, Chu, Xiaodong, Du, Hongda, Li, Jia, Gan, Lin, Xu, Chengjun, Yao, Youwei, He, Yanbing, Li, Baohua, Kang, Feiyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 05.02.2018
• Subjects: Boiling points; Bonding strength; Chemical bonds; Crystal structure; Crystallinity; crystallization; Deionization; Dipole moments; Electrospinning; Ethanol; Ethylene oxide; Evaporation rate; fibers; Hydrogen bonding; Materials science; Molecular chains; Nanofibers; Polymers; Solubility parameters; Solvent effect; Solvents; synthesis and processing techniques
• ISSN: 0021-8995; 1097-4628
• DOI: 10.1002/app.45787

ABSTRACT Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning PEO solution with a mixed solvent of ethanol and deionized water. The results show that the mixed solvent system has noteworthy influences on structures and properties of electrospun PEO nanofibers, including molecular chain orientation, crystallinity degree, surface morphology, fiber diameter, diameter distribution, spinnability, and productivity. With increasing ethanol content in the mixed solvent, wrinkly morphologies appear on the surface of PEO nanofibers due to a high evaporation rate of ethanol during electrospinning process. The dielectric constant, dipole moment, conductivity, density, boiling point, and solubility parameter of the mixed solvent become lower with the ethanol content increasing. Besides, the hydrogen‐bonding interactions between PEO and solvents become weaker. As a result, PEO nanofibers with larger diameters, lower molecular chain orientation, and crystallinity degree are obtained. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45787.