We use a new method based on electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) to perform quantitative measurements of the dielectric constants of individual electrospun nanofibers of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), as well as composite fibers of PLLA with embedded multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-PLLA). The EFM data record the oscillation phase of an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever as a function of the AFM tip position. In our experiments the relative dielectric constants ϵ of the sample are measured from the EFM phase shifts vs. the tip-surface separation, according to a simple analytical model describing the tip-surface interactions. We perform a comprehensive study of how the dielectric constant depends on the fiber diameter for both electrospun PLLA and MWCNT/PLLA fiber composites. Our measurements show that EFM can distinguish between dielectric properties of PLLA fibers and fiber composites with different diameters. Dielectric constants of both PLLA and MWCNT-PLLA composite fibers decrease with increasing fiber diameter. In the limit of large fiber diameters (D > 100 nm), we measure dielectric constants in the range: ϵ = 3.4–3.8, similar to the values obtained for unoriented PLLA films: ϵfilm
= 2.4–3.8. Moreover, the dielectric constants of the small diameter MWCNT-PLLA composites are significantly larger than the corresponding values obtained for PLLA fibers. For MWCNT-PLLA nanofiber composites of small diameters (D < 50 nm), ϵ approaches the values measured for neat MWCNT: ϵCN
= 12 ± 2. These results are consistent with a simple fiber structural model that shows higher polarizability of thinner fibers, and composites that contain MWCNTs. The experimental method has a high-resolution for measuring the dielectric constant of soft materials, and is simple to implement on standard atomic force microscopes. This non-invasive technique can be applied to measure the electrical properties of polymers, interphases, and polymer nanocomposites.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.