Fabrication of Porous Phenyl Silsesquiazane and Poly(ethylene oxide) Nanofibers by Electrospinning and Nonsolvent-induced Phase Separation

초록

A porous nanofiber web with a hierarchical pore structure was formed by electrospinning and nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) processes. Phenyl silsesquiazane (PSSQZ) containing 20% high-molecular-weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was electrospun to form a nanofiber web, where a mixture of high volatility solvent and low volatility nonsolvent induced the pores within the nanofibers through NIPS mechanism. The content of the polymers and the type and ratio of solvent/nonsolvent significantly affected pore formation, and a nanofiber web with a hierarchical pore structure was formed using 90/10 of PSSQZ/PEO, 80/20 of chloroform/decane, and 5 wt% total polymer content. The nanofiber web was then converted to inorganic nanofibers by heat treatment at 700 degrees C. However, the internal pore structure collapsed due to the low level of cross-linking during the heat treatment, forming hollow inorganic nanofibers.

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