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Crosslinked PVAL nanofibers with enhanced long‐term stability prepared by single‐step electrospinning
Author(s) -
Nugroho Robertus Wahyu N.,
Roy Prasun Kumar,
Odelius Karin,
Albertsson AnnChristine
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
polymers for advanced technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.61
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1099-1581
pISSN - 1042-7147
DOI - 10.1002/pat.3098
Subject(s) - vinyl alcohol , electrospinning , nanofiber , materials science , aqueous solution , chemical engineering , immersion (mathematics) , one step , composite material , polymer chemistry , polymer , organic chemistry , chemistry , mathematics , pure mathematics , engineering
We present a single‐step route for the preparation of crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAL) nanofibers where a conventional electrospinning setup can be used. The simple crosslinking chemistry and the fast and easily applicable technique is an important step towards large‐scale production. In contrast to conventional systems, the PVAL crosslinker solution exhibited no increase in viscosity during storage and can therefore be used even after long shelf‐times before electrospinning. In addition, the crosslinked nanofibrous mats exhibited a gel content of almost 100%, indicating complete crosslinking; they did not dissolve in water, and no PVAL was found in the aqueous extract. The E‐moduli of the nanofibrous mats before and after water immersion could be measured by an intermodulation atomic force microscopy technique. A denser nanofibrous texture with enhanced mechanical properties can be observed after long‐term water immersion. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.