Influence of non-woven antistatic substrate materials on polyvinylidene fluoride electrospun nanofibers: fabrication, characterization, and performance evaluation

Abstract

The production of nanofibers holds significant importance in both laboratory-based research and industrial applications. This study employed multiple spinnerets in the process of electrospinning to produce polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers, which exhibited a desirable characteristic of being both thin and uniform. The spinning performance of multiple jet electrospinning was done. In addition, an examination was conducted to assess the impact of antistatic non-woven support materials on the fiber morphology of PVDF electrospun nanofibers. The morphology and β-phase (beta phase) of the electrospun nanofibers were analyzed using characterization techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The findings of the study indicate that the selection of antistatic non-woven support material had a notable impact on fiber morphology. Upon the utilization of various suitable substrate materials, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) contributed to the successful formation of well-structured and consistent nanofibers with a lesser diameter of 173 ± 38 nm, 92.8% β-fraction and a surface area of 12.99 m2/g. The laminating temperature and density of the fiber decreased the porosity and air permeability by 50%. The excellent flux recovery of 400 L/(m2 h) on the nanofibers laminated at 130 °C of pore size of 0.54 µm even after dried and stored for 48 h at room temperature. A finite-element analysis (FEA) was conducted on computer-aided design (CAD) fiber structure, and results showed that at low pressure of 0.01 N, a max of 130.29 MPa stress was generated on fibers.