Preparation and characterization of electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(methyl methacrylate) membrane

Abstract

In this work, nanofibrous poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) membranes with different PMMA contents from 10 wt% to 20 wt% were prepared by electrospinning. The morphology of resultant membranes was investigated using scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the morphology of PVDF/PMMA electrospun nanofibers in the membrane was highly dependent on the solvent used during the electrospinning process. PVDF/PMMA nanofibers with beads were formed in the electrospun membrane when N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent was used due to its low evaporation rate. Uniform PVDF/PMMA nanofibers without beads in the electrospun membranes were obtained by DMF–acetone mixed solvent. The crystallization behavior of PVDF in the electrospun PVDF/PMMA membranes was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The β form crystalline structure was the major crystalline phase of PVDF in electrospun PVDF/PMMA membranes, and PMMA may suppress the formation of α crystalline phase of PVDF. The crystallinity degree of PVDF in the electrospun PVDF/PMMA membranes was lower than that of the electrospun PVDF membrane, and the annealing could effectively improve the crystallinity degree of PVDF in electrospun membranes. Moreover, it was found that the annealing has no adverse effect on the low density, high porosity, and water vapor permeability of electrospun membranes.

Highly aligned magnetic composite nanofibers fabricated by magnetic-field-assisted electrospinning PAN/FeCo solution

“…Electrospinning (ES) is an easy method for producing nanofibers with simple equipment. 7,8 In recent years, the combination of magnetic nanofibers and ES technology has attracted the interests of researchers. Various types of magnetic nanofibers, 9 –13 including pure ferromagnetic metal fibers, polymeric fibers that are blended or coated with magnetic particles, and magnetic fibers with a core/sheath structure, were introduced.…”

Novel electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride-graphene oxide-silver nanocomposite membranes with protein and bacterial antifouling characteristics

“…By electrospinning PVDF/DMF solution, fiber generation becomes difficult due to the high boiling temperature (153°C) and low evaporation rate of DMF solvent. To increase the evaporation rate of solvent, acetone with low boiling temperature of 56.8°C and higher volatility is employed as a co-solvent [50]. In addition, polymer solutions with 20 wt% PVDF can produce fibrous membranes due to their adequate viscosity.…”

Waterproof and Breathable Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes

“…Besides, its inherently good hydrophobicity, high chemical corrosion resistance, and heat resistance, render it to be the most commonly used hydrophobic polymer for the fabrication of W&B nanofibrous membranes . Some researchers had fabricated pure electrospun PVDF W&B membranes with thick fibers and large pores, thus the resultant materials exhibited limited waterproof performance and poor mechanical properties . In this sense, considerable efforts have been focused on optimizing the porous structure of PVDF membranes to improve their application performance .…”