title: Electrospun Poly(ε-caprolactone)/Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-Based Copolymer Blends: Evolution of Fiber Internal Structures.
abstract: This study reports the structural transition of electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/poly[(propylmethacryl-heptaisobutyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane)-co-(methyl meth-acrylate)] (POSS-MMA) blends, from PCL-rich fibers, to bicontinuous PCL core/POSS-MMA shell fibers, to POSS-MMA-rich fibers with a discontinuous PCL inner phase. A ternary phase diagram depicting the electrospinnability of PCL/POSS-MMA solutions is constructed by evaluating the morphological features of fibers electrospun from solutions with various concentrations and PCL/POSS-MMA blend ratios. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry are further used to characterize the electrospun PCL/POSS-MMA hybrid fibers. These physicochemical characterization results are thoroughly discussed to understand the internal structures of the hybrid fibers, which are directly correlated to the phase separation behavior of the electrospun solutions. The current study provides further insight into the complex phase behavior of POSS-copolymer-based systems, which hold great potential for a broad spectrum of biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859, USA.
authors.forename: Adam J P
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859, USA.
authors.forename: Yitian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859, USA.
authors.forename: Bingbing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000179:Acrylates / Q000737:chemistry; D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D008689:Methacrylates / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D017646:Organosilicon Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011091:Polyesters / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D000179:Acrylates; D008689:Methacrylates; D017646:Organosilicon Compounds; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; C503161:polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane methacrylate; C016240:polycaprolactone; C035956:methyl acrylate
keywords: POSS-MMA copolymer; electrospun fibers; poly(ε-caprolactone)