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Electrospinning: A Novel Method to Incorporate POSS Into a Polymer Matrix
Author(s) -
Cozza Erika Simona,
Monticelli Orietta,
Marsano Enrico
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201000214
Subject(s) - electrospinning , materials science , silsesquioxane , polymer , nanofiber , chemical engineering , solvent , casting , dispersion (optics) , matrix (chemical analysis) , evaporation , dissolution , polymer chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , chemistry , physics , optics , engineering , thermodynamics
The effectiveness of electrospinning as a simple approach to disperse POSS into a polymer matrix at a nm‐level has been assessed. Electrospun and cast films were prepared by dissolving CA and epoxycyclohexylisobutyl POSS in the solvent mixture acetone/DMAc. The membranes were characterized by SEM, TEM and WAXD. Whereas films produced by casting showed µm‐sized POSS crystals, thus suggesting a small affinity between the polymer matrix and the POSS molecules, those prepared by electrospinning were characterized by a nanometric POSS distribution. This is explained by considering the peculiar solvent evaporation mechanism, occurring during the electrospinning process, which allows to produce nanofibers characterized by a silsesquioxane dispersion similar to that present in solution.