Dependence of morphology of electrospun PVB nanofibres containing fumed silica on elasticity of the processed solutions

Abstract

Application of various types of fumed silica gives a possibility to tailor a degree of hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity of the resulting electrospun nanofibrous mats where as a basic polymeric material is taken poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) solved in methanol. Presence of fumed silica substantially changes viscoelastic attributes in comparison with the neat PVB solution. The aim of this contribution is to compare morphological structures of the resulting electrospun mats generated from the solutions with presence and absence of various types of fumed silica differing in surface morphology, size and the specific surface area. This comparison is based on the rheological characteristics with the emphasis to elasticity of the pre-processed solutions. The differences in elasticity among fumed silica based solutions are indeed remarkable. The obtained results show that elasticity does not play a crucial role in creation and morphological aspects of the corresponding nanofibrous mats including fibres diameter.