Investigation of Collector Geometry and Speed on Orientation, Diameter Distribution and Mechanical Properties of Electrospun Nanofibers

Abstract

Different collector geometry and speed are investigated to study their effects on alignment, diameter distribution and tensile properties of electrospun nanofibers. Nanofibers are fabricated from 10% polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in N,Ndimethylformamide (DMF) solution using a homemade electrospinning system. Copper collector of different geometry such as foil, mesh, and wire are attached to the surface of a rotating disk and rotates at different RPM to achieve surface speed in the range of 9.9- 29.8 m s-1. The as-spun nanofibers are subsequently stabilized at 260°C in air for 180 min and carbonized at 1000°C in nitrogen for 60 min. The nanofibers are characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) while tensile properties of nanofibrous yarns are measured using dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) under static condition. It is found that both collector geometry and speed affect the fiber diameter and alignment significantly which in terns affect the tensile strength of the fibrous yarns significantly.