Experimental design as a tool for the manufacturing of filtering media based on electrospun polyacrylonitrile/ $$\upbeta $$ β -cyclodextrin fibers

Abstract

The aim of this work is the manufacturing of non-woven fabrics to be used as Filtering media. These fabrics were produced from polyacrilonitrile (PAN) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) solutions in dimethylsulfoxide using a horizontal electrospinning system with a flat collecting screen. The information from the experiments was statistically analyzed in order to define the process parameters (PAN concentration in solution, volumetric flow and applied voltage) needed for obtaining fibers with the smallest average diameters. First, PAN fibers were produced following a full factorial 3 3 experimental design and this information was used for preparing the corresponding Response Surfaces needed to define the best conditions for the production of PAN/β-CD nonwoven fabrics. The viscosity of the polymer solutions was analyzed using a rotational rheometer and a pseudoplastic behavior was observed, the diameter of the obtained nanofibers was determined using scanning electron microscopy. At the end, the polymer concentration (viscosity) and the volumetric flow rate were selected as the most statistically significant factors affecting the fiber diameter. Besides, uniform PAN and PAN/β-CD nanofibers with average fiber diameters between 200 and 500 nm were obtained.

Functionalization of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers with β-cyclodextrin for the capture of formaldehyde

“…Besides, when the PAN concentration is increased, there is a reduction on the shear rate that is needed for the transition from the Newtonian plateau to the pseudoplastic region. These observations are consistent with our previous work [20] and they should be taken into consideration if it is desired to produce electrospun nanofibers using more concentrated polymer solutions at higher flow rates. Although the addition of βCD augmented the viscosity of each solution at the different PAN concentrations, the rheological behavior of the polymer solutions was not modified.…”

“…βCD is a toroid shaped cyclic oligosaccharide consisting of seven units of 1,4-linked glucopyranosides [11]. Due to its external hydrophilic groups (hydroxyl) and its hydrophobic inner cavity, it can form hostguest complexes with organic molecules and has gained attention as potential polymer additive for environmental applications [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. One of these applications describes the promising properties of cyclodextrin functionalized electrospun poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) nanofibers as molecular filter for styrene, aniline and toluene vapors [12].…”

Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile/β-Cyclodextrin Composite Membranes for Simultaneous Air Filtration and Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds

“…Polymer concentration, flow rate, and applied voltage are the most important factors affecting the PAN/β-CD nanofiber morphology . Hence, these parameters were kept unchanged for all the ENMs to study the effect of β-CD on nanofiber morphology.…”

Electrospun Polyurethane/β-Cyclodextrin Composite Membranes for Aerosol Filtration and Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds from the Air

“…An important feature of electrospinning is that the morphology and diameter of nanofibers are changeable based on the electrospinning parameters 41 . The polymer concentration, flow rate, and voltage are the most critical factors that affect the morphology of nanofiber membranes 42 . By increasing the amount of β-CD in the electrospun solution, the mean diameter of β-CD nanofibers became smaller compared to pure PU nanofibers.…”