Structure and Physical Properties of Polyurethane/Fluorinated Hyper Branched Polymer Nanofiber Mat

Abstract

A new method for the surface modification of polyurethane (PU) nanofibers by using a hyper branched polymer containing fluoroalkyl group (FF1) was developed. PU nanofiber mats containing FF1 were obtained by using a solution electrospinning method. The effect of the addition of FF1 on the structure of the PU nanofiber mat has been investigated with a scanning electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope. Furthermore, the physical properties of the nanofiber mats such as a contact angle measurement, water resistance test, water vapor permeation test and tensile test have been studied. X-ray results show that almost of FF1 particles are located on the near-surface region of the nanofibers. It is found that the particles improve remarkably the surface properties of PU nanofibers.