Highly porous fibers by electrospinning into a cryogenic liquid.
Highly porous fibers of various polymers were created by electrospinning with a modified collector. A bath of liquid nitrogen was used to freeze the fibers, inducing a phase separation between the polymer and the solvent. When the solvent was removed in vacuo, highly porous fibers were obtained. Poly(styrene), poly(acrylonitrile), poly(vinylidene fluoride), and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) were all electrospun into porous fibers using this simple method. These porous fibers have a range of potential applications in encapsulation, controlled release, superhydrophobic coating, and lightweight reinforcement.
McCann
Jesse T
JT
Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, USA.
Marquez
Manuel
M
Xia
Younan
Y