High-Temperature Bearable Polysulfonamide/Polyurethane Composite Nanofibers’ Membranes for Filtration Application

Polysulfonamide (PSA)-based membranes are widely used for high-temperature filtration. PSA/polyurethane (TPU) composite membranes that can withstand a temperature exceeding 200 °C are fabricated by an electrospinning method. The effects of PSA/TPU mass ratio on the morphology and properties of the prepared composite membranes are investigated to obtain nanofibers with different diameters. These composite membranes are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry, and mechanical and filtration properties of membranes are also investigated. The maximum stress and elongation at break of PSA/TPU nanofibers’ membranes reach 13.66 ±1.43 MPa and 75.01 ± 3.78%, respectively, when the PSA/TPU mass ratio is 3:7. Moreover, filtration results show high filtration efficiency (>99%) and low pressure drop for diethyl-hexyl-sebacat (DEHS) and sodium chloride (NaCl) aerosol particles at 4 m³ h⁻¹ airflow velocity. Therefore, PSA/TPU composite membranes are a promising candidate for high-temperature filtration applications.     

Investigation of post-spinning stretching process on morphological, structural, and mechanical properties of electrospun polyacrylonitrile copolymer nanofibers

Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) copolymer nanofibers with diameters of ∼0.3 μm were prepared as highly aligned bundles. The as-electrospun nanofiber bundles were then stretched in steam at ∼100 °C into 2, 3, and 4 times of the original lengths. Subsequently, characterizations and evaluations were carried out to understand morphological, structural, and mechanical properties using SEM, 2D WAXD, polarized FT−IR, DSC, and mechanical tester; and the results were compared to those of conventional PAN copolymer microfibers. The study revealed that: (1) the macromolecules in as-electrospun nanofibers were loosely oriented along fiber axes; although such an orientation was not high, a small extent of stretching could effectively improve the orientation and increase the crystallinity; (2) most of macromolecules in the crystalline phase of as-electrospun and stretched nanofibers possessed the zig-zag conformation instead of the helical conformation; and (3) the post-spinning stretching process could substantially improve mechanical properties of the nanofiber bundles. To the best of our knowledge, this study represented the first successful attempt to stretch electrospun nanofibers; and we envisioned that the highly aligned and stretched electrospun PAN copolymer nanofibers could be an innovative type of precursor for the development of continuous nano-scale carbon fibers with superior mechanical strength.     

Centrifugally spun silica (SiO2) nanofibers for high-temperature air filtration

In this study, silica-based nanofibers were produced via centrifugal spinning (C-spin) and subsequent calcination. The produced heat resistant media was challenged with NaCl nanoparticles to investigate their filtration performance. To obtain inorganic SiO₂ nanofibers, C-spun organic PVP–TEOS nanofibers were calcinated at 300–600?°C. Effects of solution concentration and calcination temperature on crystallinity, morphology and air filtration performance of nanofibers were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was performed to analyze fiber diameter and morphology of nanofibrous webs. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) was realized for the thermal behavior of samples. Moreover, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) analysis were realized for further characterization. In addition to the chemical and morphological analysis, the ductility of the samples was investigated via tensile tests. Finally, calcinated webs were challenged with 0.4?μm salt particles to analyze their filtration performance. The calcinated 5?wt% TEOS/PVP silica nanofiber webs were more brittle due to three times lower precursor content. Therefore, flexibility (percent elongation) of 15?wt%TEOS/PVP sample was nearly five times higher than 5?wt%TEOS/PVP sample. The calcinated 15?wt%TEOS/PVP sample showed the highest filtration performance among all the silica nanofibers. The average fiber diameter of the optimized web was found to be the lowest, which is around 521?±?308?nm, which resulted in enhanced filtration efficiency around 75.89%.

Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile solutions containing diluted sodiumthiocyanate

The effect of NaSCN salt on the spinnability of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solutions, its resulting morphology, mechanical property, and the flame resistance of the resulting electrospun nanofibers were studied. The intent was to develop a method to produce nanosized carbon fiber precursors with good properties. Electrospun PAN nanofibers from 9.7–9.9 wt% PAN/sodiumthiocyanate (NaSCN) (aq)/Dimethylformamide (DMF) solutions with 1.0–2.9 wt% NaSCN (aq), and 10–15 wt% PAN/DMF solutions without salt exhibited good spinnability and morphology with no beading in the range of applied voltage (18–20 kV) and take‐up velocity (9.8–12.3 m/s). The relatively high take‐up velocity produced good yarn alignment. The diameter distributions of the PAN nanofibers containing the NaSCN salt were narrower than those of the PAN/DMF nanofibers without the salt. It was determined that the maximum content of salt for production of electrospun PAN nanofibers with good morphology was below 3.8 wt% (40 wt% based on PAN). The salt concentration can positively influence on the narrow diameter distributions of the resulting electrospun fibers. Also, it could be confirmed that the salt effect on mechanical property and flame resistance of electrospun PAN nanofibers. In particular, the elongation of the PAN nanofiber with 2.9 wt% NaSCN (aq) was significantly increased as much as 186% compared with that of 10 wt% PAN nanofiber without the salt. The flame resistance and mechanical properties of the stabilized PAN nanofibers with NaSCN (aq) increased after oxidization process. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Nanofiber formation of self-crosslinking dialdehyde carboxymethyl cellulose/collagen composites

Self-crosslinking dialdehyde carboxymethyl cellulose (DCMC)/collagen (COL) composites were prepared by blending DCMC and COL at different ratios, and the effect of DCMC amounts on composite nanofiber formation and stability were investigated. The more was the DCMC amount, the higher became the cross-linking degree, thus demonstrating that self-crosslinking system was successfully constructed. At low amount of DCMC, self-assembled DCMC/COL composite exhibited typical nanofiber structure similar to COL nanofibers, and the mean diameter of nanofibers increased from 68 ± 12 to 84 ± 15 nm; additionally, the final turbidity of DCMC/COL composite was higher than that of COL, reflecting more nanofibers formed. We conjectured that nanofiber formation was promoted via adding a small amount of DCMC. However, the inhibition of nanofiber formation was detected by reductions in turbidity at 0.3:1 < DCMC/COL ≤ 2.5:1, and the mean diameter of nanofibers decreased to 54 ± 13 nm at a DCMC/COL ratio of 2.5:1. Meanwhile, crosslinking occurred again between adjacent nanofibers during self-assembly process; therefore, partial nanofibers presented in pairs. At a DCMC/COL ratio of 5:1, nanofiber formation was completely inhibited and DCMC/COL composite consisted of aggregates. In summary, nanofiber formation was first promoted and then inhibited with increased DCMC amounts. Furthermore, low- and high-temperature stability of DCMC/COL nanofibers was better than those of COL nanofibers due to the formation of crosslinks.     

不同相对湿度下亲疏水纳米纤维膜空气过滤性能实验研究

利用静电纺丝法制备了表面静态接触角为23.6°的具有亲水功能的PAN/PVP复合纳米纤维膜、接触角为81.2°的PAN纳米纤维膜、接触角为131.9°的具有疏水功能的PAN/PVDF复合纳米纤维膜。利用自行搭建的空气过滤实验台,在40%、55%、70%三种相对湿度下对三种纳米纤维膜进行空气过滤实验,对纳米纤维膜的过滤效率、阻力损失及品质因子进行分析。结果表明：三种纳米纤维膜的过滤效率随着相对湿度的增大而升高,PAN/PVP膜和PAN膜的阻力损失随着相对湿度的增大而增加,PAN/PVDF的阻力损失随着相对湿度的增大而减小;PAN/PVP膜和PAN膜的品质因子随着相对湿度的增大而减小,PAN/PVDF膜的品质因子随着相对湿度的增大而增大,湿度越大,PAN/PVDF纳米纤维膜的过滤性能越显著。     

Effect of air blowing on the morphology and nanofiber properties of blowing‐assisted electrospun polycarbonates

Polycarbonate (PC) nanofibers are prepared using the air blowing‐assisted electrospinning process. The effects of air blowing pressure and PC solution concentration on the physical properties of fibers and the filtration performance of the nanofiber web are investigated. The air blowing‐assisted electrospinning process produces fewer beads and smaller nanofiber diameters compared with those obtained without air blowing. Uniform PC nanofibers with an average fiber diameter of about 0.170 μm are obtained using an applied voltage of 40 kV, an air blowing pressure of 0.3 MPa, a PC solution concentration of 16%, and a tip‐to‐collection‐screen distance (TCD) of 25 cm. The filtration efficiency improvement of the air blowing‐assisted electrospun web can be attributed to the narrow distribution of fiber diameter and small mean flow pore size of the electrospun web. Performance results show that the air blowing‐assisted electrospinning process can be applied to produce PC nanofiber mats with high‐quality filtration. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Nanofibrous alumina structures fabricated using high-yield alternating current electrospinning

Nanofibrous alumina (Al₂O₃) structures were fabricated from the precursor aluminum nitrate/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers prepared using a free-surface alternating current (AC) electrospinning method. Precursor nanofibers were generated at rates up to 6.4 g/h and collected as 100–300 µm thick sheets suitable for direct conversion into the nanofibrous alumina structures. The effects of process conditions and annealing temperature on the nanofiber diameter, morphology, shrinking behavior and crystalline phase formation were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Textural properties of Al₂O₃ fibrous sheets composed of micro-/meso-porous nanocrystalline γ-alumina nanofibers with 260±90 nm diameters after the calcination at temperatures in the range from 700 °C to 1000 °C were determined from N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms. Preliminary air permeability and apparent air flow resistance studies of single sheet and multilayer nanofibrous alumina membranes were performed and compared with other porous alumina membrane structures for the evaluation of their possible usage in gas filtration, separation, and other applications.     

Investigation of the figure of merit for filters with a single nanofiber layer on a substrate

We investigate filters composed of a layer of nanofibers on a substrate made of micrometer fibers and compare the performance of such nanofiber media to conventional micrometer fibrous filters. The performance of the nanofiber filters is evaluated using the figure of merit, which represents the ratio between the filtration efficiency and the pressure drop. Filtration tests were performed on four samples with different nanofiber solidities. As the nanofiber solidity increases, the filtration efficiency and the pressure drop both increase. We develop a numerical model to simulate the nanofiber filters. When the nanofiber solidity is appropriately adjusted, the pressure drop computed from the model is in good agreement with experimental results. Filtration efficiency for the nanofibers due to interception, inertial impaction and diffusion can be computed from the model. The simulation results are in good agreement with experiments for 20–780 nm particles but discrepancies exist for particles smaller than 20 nm. Our results show that nanofiber filters have better figure of merit for particles larger than about 100 nm compared to conventional fiberglass filters. For particles smaller than 100 nm, nanofiber filters do not perform better than conventional fiberglass filters.     

Oxidative stabilization of pitch-polyacrylonitrile composite nanofibers electrospun by incorporating high-percentage inexpensive pitch

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based composite nanofibers incorporated with high-percentage inexpensive pitch were successfully prepared by a simple electrospinning technique. Low-softening-point naphthalene pitch (NP) has the merit of high solubility but inevitably brings about preoxidation problem. Thus the influence of different preoxidation strategies on the morphology, composition, and structure of composite nanofibers was systematically investigated. The results show that there exists a ternary phase diagram consisting of PAN-pitch-solvent and a suitable apparent viscosity of homogeneous solution, which favors the smooth electrospinning and good adjustment for the diameter of carbon nanofibers (100–500 nm). The crystallinity, crystalline order, and electrical conduction of composite nanofibers are enhanced by incorporating graphitizable NP, for example, the electrical resistance of 50% NP-PAN composite nanofiber films after 800°C carbonization decreases about 30%. Both increasing the oxidation temperature and extending the oxidation time are beneficial to the oxidative stabilization of composite nanofibers with a suitable NP percentage below 50%. Gradient heating (240–340°C) and pressurized (0.08 MPa) preoxidations could accelerate the oxidative stabilization of composite nanofibers with a high NP percentage up to 110% and significantly shorten the oxidation time by half. Therefore, this study paves the road for facile preparation of cost-competitive carbon nanofibers with controllable morphology, structure, and properties.     

Characterization of filter media prepared from aligned nanofibers for fine dust screen

Nanofibers for fine dust filters of four structures (random, aligned, orthogonal, and nanofiber net) were prepared by electrospinning method using polymers such as PAN and PA6. While conventional electret filters experienced deterioration problems in fine dust(PM_1.0) capture as its surface charge decayed, the electrospun nanofibers prepared contributed to the removal capacity. The filters from aligned fibers showed high quality factors ( q _F : filter performance indicator) and filtration efficiency from 22 to 50% depending on particle size than simple electret media at a face velocity of 15.92 cm/s. The fiber structure of nanofiber net (NFN) presented almost absolute collection efficiency, particularly on dust particles smaller than 300 nm. Furthermore, the composite filters which are composed both of a commercial electret mask filters and nanofiber nets effectively enhanced the overall filtration efficiency by 59.46%, resulting in more than 99% for PM_1.0. Consequently, electrospun polymer nanofibers offer a promising plausible mask filter material with air permeability. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48166.     

Improving Mechanical Properties of Carbon/Epoxy Composite by Incorporating Functionalized Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Nanofibers

Electrospun functionalized polyacrylonitrile grafted glycidyl methacrylate (PAN‐g‐GMA) nanofibers are incorporated between the plies of a conventional carbon fiber/epoxy composite to improve the composite's mechanical performance. Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) is successfully grafted onto polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer powder via a free radical mechanism. Characterization of the electrospun PAN and PAN‐g‐GMA nanofibers indicates that the grafting of GMA does not significantly alter the tensile properties of the PAN nanofibers but results in an increase in the diameter of nanofibers. Statistical analysis of the mechanical characterization studies on PAN‐carbon/epoxy hybrid composites conclusively shows that the composite reinforced with functionalized PAN nanofibers has greater mechanical properties than that of both the neat PAN nanofiber enriched hybrid composite and control composite (without nanofibers). The improved performance is attributed to the grafted glycidyl groups on PAN, leading to stronger interactions between the nanofibers and the epoxy matrix. PAN‐g‐GMA nanofiber reinforced composite outperforms their neat PAN counterparts in tensile strength, short beam shear strength, flexural strength, and Izod impact energy absorption by 8%, 9%, 6%, and 8%, respectively. Compared to the control composite, the improvements resulting from the PAN‐g‐GMA nanofiber incorporation are even more pronounced at 28%, 41%, 32%, and 21% in the corresponding tests, respectively.

     

Mechanical and structural characterizations of simultaneously aligned and heat treated PAN nanofibers

A simple and nonconventional electrospinning technique was employed for producing aligned polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers. A thermal zone was placed between syringe needles and collector in the electrospinning set up to obtain aligned and heat treated nanofibers. Suitable temperatures for heat treat process of PAN nanofibers was determined using differential scanning spectroscopy (DSC) technique. The influence of treatment temperature was investigated on morphology, internal structure and mechanical properties of collected PAN nanofibers. The average fiber diameter measured from SEM images exhibited decreasing trend at higher temperatures. FTIR spectra indicated no considerable difference between chemical structure of untreated and treated PAN nanofibers. Crystallization degree of PAN nanofibers calculated from WAXD patterns showed relatively low change with treatment temperature. Tenacity values of nanofiber bundles increased with increasing temperature while the extension values had an inverse trend. However, the modulus did not show a regular manner, but treated nanofibers had more modulus than untreated ones. The stress and modulus of PAN nanofibers increased to 112.9 MPa and 7.25 GPa at 270°C, respectively. Nanofibers treated at the highest temperature had the largest amount of crystallinity and strength. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Preparation and characterization of electrospun Ag/polyacrylonitrile composite nanofibers

Novel composite nanofibers consisting of Ag nanoparticles and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were fabricated successfully. The Raman properties of these Ag/PAN nanofibers were studied at low temperatures, which showed good Raman characteristics. In the process, a PAN solution containing Ag ions was directly electrospun to obtain nanofiber films containing Ag ions, and the Ag ions of resulting composite nanofibers were reduced to Ag nanoparticles in N₂H₅OH aqueous solution. Then, we treated Ag/PAN composite nanofibers at 100 °C, 200 °C, 400 and 600 °C, respectively. The Ag/PAN nanocomposite film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy.     

复合聚酰亚胺滤毡的制备及其滤除PM2.5颗粒

以260~350 g/m2的芳纶无纺毡为基底层、40~60 g/m2的耐高温无纺布为保护层,通过静电喷雾将高温粘合剂均匀涂布在基底层上,再采用静电纺丝技术将直径150~400 nm的可溶性聚酰亚胺(P84)纳米纤维均匀纺制其上,附上保护层,热压固化使3层材料紧密结合,得到三明治结构的耐高温纳米纤维复合过滤毡,用其去除模拟气溶胶(粒径0.3~10 ?m的NaCl)颗粒. 结果表明,复合滤毡粘结强度超过1000 kPa,粘合剂对基底性能影响较小,少量纳米纤维可有效提高材料的过滤效率,对粒径2.0 ?m以上和1.0~2.0 ?m NaCl颗粒的过滤效率分别达100%和99.5%以上.     

Studies on the synthesis of electrospun PAN‐Ag composite nanofibers for antibacterial application

We have successfully synthesized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers impregnated with Ag nanoparticles by electrospinning method at room temperature. Briefly, the PAN‐Ag composite nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning PAN (10% w/v) in dimethyl formamide (DMF) solvent containing silver nitrate (AgNO₃) in the amounts of 8% by weight of PAN. The silver ions were reduced into silver particles in three different methods i.e., by refluxing the solution before electrospinning, treating with sodium borohydride (NaBH₄), as reducing agent, and heating the prepared composite nanofibers at 160°C. The prepared PAN nanofibers functionalized with Ag nanoparticles were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), SEM elemental detection X‐ray analysis (SEM‐EDAX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy (UV‐VIS) analytical techniques. UV‐VIS spectra analysis showed distinct absorption band at 410 nm, suggesting the formation of Ag nanoparticles. TEM micrographs confirmed homogeneous dispersion of Ag nanoparticles on the surface of PAN nanofibers, and particle diameter was found to be 5–15 nm. It was found that all the three electrospun PAN‐Ag composite nanofibers showed strong antibacterial activity toward both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. However, the antibacterial activity of PAN‐Ag composite nanofibers membrane prepared by refluxed method was most prominent against S. aureus bacteria. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

螺纹式喷头制备PAN纳米纤维及其空气过滤性能

以聚丙烯腈(PAN)为纺丝液,采用自主设计研发的螺纹式喷头静电纺丝装置制备了幅宽为600 mm的纳米纤维膜。通过扫描电镜和孔径测定仪考察了纤维形貌以及直径分布,并测试了纳米纤维膜对0.26μm氯化钠粒子的过滤性能。结果表明:纤维的平均直径为138 nm,平均孔径为1.98μm,纤维膜平均厚度为0.025 mm;PAN纳米纤维膜过滤效率为99.899%,滤阻为280.9 Pa。     

Preparation and characterization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polyacrylonitrile nanofibers

Multiwalled carbon nanotube/Polyacrylonitrile (MWNT/PAN) composite nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning technique, whereby functionalized MWNTs (F-MWNTs) and pristine MWNTs (P-MWNTs) were used as reinforcing materials. The F-MWNTs were functionalized by Friedel-Crafts acylation, which introduced aromatic amine (COC₆H₄-NH₂) groups onto the sidewall. The diameter range of the PAN nanofibers was 400-100 ± 50 nm. The beads formation was also observed when the amounts of MWNTs were increased in the PAN solution. The bead formation in F-MWNT/PAN composite nanofibers was less as compared to P-MWNT/PAN. The MWNTs were embedded within nanofibers and were well oriented along the nanofiber axis, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The mechanical and thermal properties of the PAN nanofibers were improved by the incorporation of MWNTs.     

Improved graphitization and electrical conductivity of suspended carbon nanofibers derived from carbon nanotube/polyacrylonitrile composites by directed electrospinning

Single suspended carbon nanofibers on carbon micro-structures were fabricated by directed electrospinning and subsequent pyrolysis at 900 °C of carbon nanotube/polyacrylonitrile (CNT/PAN) composite material. The electrical conductivity of the nanofibers was measured at different weight fractions of CNTs. It was found that the conductivity increased almost two orders of magnitude upon adding 0.5 wt.% CNTs. The correlation between the extent of graphitization and electrical properties of the composite nanofiber was examined by various structural characterization techniques, and the presence of graphitic regions in pyrolyzed CNT/PAN nanofibers was observed that were not present in pure PAN-derived carbon. The influence of fabrication technique on the ordering of carbon sheets in electrospun nanofibers was examined and a templating effect by CNTs that leads to enhanced graphitization is suggested.     

Preparation and Properties of PVDF/Fe3O4 Nanofibers with Magnetic and Electret Effects and their Application in Air Filtration

Electrospun electret filter material is widely studied because of its excellent removal effect on particulate matter from air streams. Here, a kind of high efficiency and low pressure drop nanofiber (NF) membrane with both electret effect and magnetic effect is developed, and compounded it with glass fiber mesh and polyester (polyethylene terephthalate) mesh to prepare a sandwich structure of NF anti‐haze window screen. Under the synergistic effect of magnetic particles, when the density is 2.06 g m^?2, the filtration efficiency of NF anti‐haze window screen can reach 99.95% for the fine particles below 0.3 µm, while the filtration pressure drop is only 58.5 Pa, with good light transmittance and excellent breaking strength (6.32 MPa). Therefore, polyvinylidene fluoride/Fe₃O₄ composite NF membrane has a potential application prospect in the field of air filtration.