title: Effect of polymer molecular weight on the fiber morphology of electrospun mats.
abstract: In this work, different fractions of solvent-induced polymer degraded solution were mixed with freshly prepared solution of same polymer, and its effect on fiber morphology of electrospun mats was investigated. Nylon-6 solution in formic acid was allowed to degrade for 3 weeks and different fractions of it were mixed with freshly prepared nylon-6 solution to get the electrospun mats. FE-SEM images of the mats indicated that the a large amount of sub-nanofibers (<50 nm in diameter) in the form of spider-net like structures were achieved by tailoring the amount of solvent degraded polymer solution in the freshly prepared nylon-6 solution. Large quantity of these ultrafine sub-nanofibers present in electrospun nylon-6 mats could increase its hydrophilicity and mechanical strength. The decreased average pore diameter and increased BET surface area of the mat, caused by spider-net like structure, can make it as a potential candidate for air/water filtration.
authors: Department of Bionanosystem Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors: Hem Raj
authors: HR
authors: Pant
authors: Ki-Taek
authors: KT
authors: Nam
authors: Hyun-Ju
authors: HJ
authors: Oh
authors: Gopal
authors: G
authors: Panthi
authors: Hee-Dong
authors: HD
authors: Kim
authors: Byung-il
authors: BI
authors: Kim
authors: Hak Yong
authors: HY
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D002209:Caprolactam / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D005374:Filtration; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers; C009916:nylon 6; D002209:Caprolactam