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Use of mixed low/high vapor pressure solvent as a novel solvent design strategy for tuning fiber diameter in electrospun mats

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Abstract

Fiber diameter is a key characteristic of fibrous electrospun mats. This study suggests a novel strategy for designing electrospinning solvents that enables the tailoring of fiber diameter over a wider range. It has been shown that the use of mixed high/low vapor pressure solvents can surpass the minimum fiber diameter achieved in electrospinning. N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) is added to N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) in different weight ratios (0/100, 25/75, 50/50, 75/25 and 100/0) and the resultant dual solvent is used to electrospin polysulfone (20 wt% PSU solution). It is found that the addition of 25 wt% NMP to DMF decreases the fiber diameter from 0.853 ± 0.416 μm to 0.492 ± 0.163 μm i.e., ~ 42%. reduction in diameter. Surface tension measurements of PSU/NMP/DMF solutions and in situ measurements of electric current passing through the electrified PSU jet showed that solution retarded evaporation due to NMP addition has overcome the surface and electric forces. Nevertheless, beads form for solutions with an NMP / DMF weight ratio ≥ 50/50 which reveals that the technique can be applied as far as the morphology remains fibrous. This study thus offers a strategy that paves the way for future research on systematic tuning of fiber diameter based on designed mixed low/high vapor pressure solvent systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Maryam Kheilbash & M. Reza Malayeri

  2. Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Research Centre, IOR/EOR Research Institute, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Maryam Kheilbash, Sedigheh Pirsalami & Masoud Riazi

  3. Department of Materials Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Sedigheh Pirsalami & Seyed Mojtaba Zebarjad

  4. School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan

    Masoud Riazi

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  1. Maryam Kheilbash
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  2. Sedigheh Pirsalami
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  4. Seyed Mojtaba Zebarjad
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Correspondence to Sedigheh Pirsalami or M. Reza Malayeri.

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Kheilbash, M., Pirsalami, S., Malayeri, M.R. et al. Use of mixed low/high vapor pressure solvent as a novel solvent design strategy for tuning fiber diameter in electrospun mats. J Polym Res 31, 94 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-024-03940-6

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