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Development of Molecular Anisotropy in Centrifugally Spun Fibers as Compared to Electrospun Fibers
Author(s) -
Mohan Saeed D.,
Mitchell Geoffrey R.,
Davis Fred J.
Publication year - 2016
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.201600275
Subject(s) - materials science , electrospinning , anisotropy , spinning , radius of gyration , fiber , composite material , polystyrene , gyration , polyacrylonitrile , neutron scattering , polymer , scattering , optics , physics , geometry , mathematics
The molecular anisotropy that is developed in microscale, centrifugally spun atactic‐polystyrene fibers prepared from the solution state is examined. Small angle neutron scattering is utilised to examine the molecular orientation of the polymer chain conformation in centrifugally spun fiber samples and comparisons are made to anisotropy developed in electrospun fiber samples. The average values of molecular anisotropy developed in the centrifugally spun fibers measured a ratio of the radius of gyration parallel to‐/perpendicular to‐ the fiber axis as 1.02, lower than the average of 1.05 observed for the electrospinning process. The highest level of anisotropy observed for the centrifugally spun fiber samples is ≈1.04, compared with a value of 1.063 for electrospinning. A model of chain anisotropy development in the centrifugal spinning process relating to the tangential speed and solvent evaporation is described.