Georgiarou_Theoretical approach for solvent selection-manuscript accepted.pdf (2.47 MB)
Electrospinning of poly(lactic acid): Theoretical approach for the solvent selection to produce defect-free electrospun nanofibres
journal contribution
posted on 2016-04-01, 13:11 authored by Raffaella Casasola, Noreen Thomas, Stella GeorgiadouStella GeorgiadouIn this study an integrated methodology is proposed for the selection of solvent systems to produce electrospinnable solutions that form defect-free poly (lactic acid) fibres with narrow diameter distributions. The solvent systems are chosen using a thermodynamic approach, combined with electrical and rheological property criteria. More specifically, the three step methodology includes 1) initial choice of solvent by solubility evaluation to meet thermodynamic criteria, 2) electrical properties i.e. conductivity and dielectric constant adjustment by using solvent mixtures to meet electrical property criteria, and 3) critical entanglement concentration (Ce) determination by viscosity measurements, supported by elastic and plastic moduli measurements, followed by concentration adjustment to meet rheological criteria. All three criteria need to be met to ensure defect-free nanofibre morphology. The methodology is demonstrated using poly (lactic acid) solutions that were characterised in terms of thermodynamic properties, conductivity, surface tension and viscosity measurements. These data were analysed and related to the nanofibre morphology and diameter as determined from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Measurements of the elastic (G’) and the plastic (G’’) moduli of PLA solutions showed a sharp increase of G’ at the chain entanglement concentration.
History
School
- Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering
Department
- Chemical Engineering
Published in
Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer PhysicsCitation
CASASOLA, R., THOMAS, N.L. and GEORGIADOU, S., 2016. Electrospinning of poly(lactic acid): Theoretical approach for the solvent selection to produce defect-free electrospun nanofibres. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 54(15), pp.1483-1498.Publisher
© WileyVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Acceptance date
2016-02-22Publication date
2016Notes
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: CASASOLA, R., THOMAS, N.L. and GEORGIADOU, S., 2016. Electrospinning of poly(lactic acid): Theoretical approach for the solvent selection to produce defect-free electrospun nanofibres. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 54(15), pp.1483-1498, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/polb.24042. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.ISSN
1099-0488Publisher version
Language
- en