Controlling poly(p-phenylene vinylene)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) composite nanofibers in different morphologies by electrospinning

Abstract

Highly fluorescent nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning the solutions containing poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) precursor and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), followed by thermal conversion. Different morphologies from uniform helical to ultrathin straight ones were controllably prepared by adjusting the amount of PPV precursor in electrospinning solutions. The experimental data suggest that the viscosity and conductivity of electrospinning solution and the operating voltage are the main factors that affect the formation of the helical structures. These different nanofiber morphologies may be advantageous depending on the applications.

Hierarchically Structured Electrospun Fibers

“…Some examples of these type of bicomponent fibers are poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV)/PVP fibers or PEO and the conductive polymer poly(aniline sulfonic acid). The authors suggest that the helical micro-coils observed were formed spontaneously upon contact with a conducting substrate due to the viscoelastic contraction of the fiber upon partial charge neutralization [132,133]. Lin et al developed a microfluidic electrospinning nozzle for the side-by-side deposition of two polymers to make a bi-component fiber [134].…”

Production of Conductive PEDOT Nanofibers by the Combination of Electrospinning and Vapor-Phase Polymerization

“…[9][10][11][12] Among the different techniques used to obtain nanostructured ICPs, the electrospinning of nanofibers has been increasingly used because of its simplicity, versatility and scale-up opportunities. 13,14 Electrospinning has been successfully applied to produce nanofibers containing polyaniline (PANI), 15,16 polypyrrole (PPy), 17,18 poly(p-phenylene vinylenes) (PPVs) 19,20 or polythiophenes (PThs), 21,22 among other ICPs. However, the use of a carrier polymer is usually required to improve the spinability of the ICPs, again reducing the electroactive properties of the final structures.…”

Nanostructured Conductive Polymers by Electrospinning

“…A drawback of PPV is its poor solubility and decomposition before melt, making it difficult to process and thus limiting its application. One strategy for solving this problem is to process the soluble sulfonium precursor of PPV, and then convert it into the conjugated form by a thermal elimination reaction, as reported by Xin et al [61][62][63]. In that work, the neutral polymer poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) was introduced into PPV cationic polyelectrolyte precursor solution to increase the degree of bending instability during electrospinning.…”