Coaxial Electrospinning with Triton X-100 Solutions as Sheath Fluids for Preparing PAN Nanofibers

• Published in: Macromolecular materials and engineering Vol. 297; no. 5; pp. 395 - 401
• Main Authors: Yu, Deng-Guang, Chatterton, Nicholas P., Yang, Jun-He, Wang, Xia, Liao, Yao-Zu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.05.2012; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley
• Subjects: Applied sciences; coaxial electrospinning; Exact sciences and technology; Machinery and processing; nanofiber quality; Plastics; polyacrylonitrile; Polymer industry, paints, wood; sheath fluid; Spinning; Technology of polymers; Triton X-100; Non ionic surfactant; Electrospinning; Surfactant polymer; Nanofiber; Experimental study; nanofiber quality; Ethylene oxide polymer; Structure processing relationship; Triblock copolymer; coaxial electrospinning; Acrylonitrile polymer; Morphology; sheath fluid; Propylene oxide copolymer; Mechanism of action; polyacrylonitrile; Triton X-100
• ISSN: 1438-7492; 1439-2054
• DOI: 10.1002/mame.201100258

Coaxial electrospinning using surfactants as sheath fluid for preparing high‐quality polymer nanofibers is studied. PAN nanofibers are fabricated using this process with Triton X‐100 solutions in DMF. FESEM demonstrates that the Triton X‐100 solution has a significant influence on the quality of the nanofibers. The nanofiber diameters can be controlled by adjusting the concentration of Triton X‐100 in the sheath fluids with a scaling law D = 640 C−0.32. The mechanism of the influence of Triton X‐100 solutions on the formation of PAN fibers is discussed and it is demonstrated that coaxial electrospinning with surfactant solution is a facile method for achieving high‐quality polymer nanofibers. A series of high‐quality polyacrylonitrile nanofibers are produced using a modified coaxial electrospinning process with Triton X‐100 solution as sheath fluid. The diameters of nanofibers can be simply manipulated by adjusting the concentration of Triton X‐100 in the sheath fluids, and they obey the expression D = 640 C−0.32.