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Investigation of plasma‐induced chemistry in organic solutions for enhanced electrospun PLA nanofibers
Author(s) -
Rezaei Fatemeh,
Gorbanev Yury,
Chys Michael,
Nikiforov Anton,
Van Hulle Stijn W. H.,
Cos Paul,
Bogaerts Annemie,
De Geyter Nathalie
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.201700226
Subject(s) - electrospinning , nanofiber , polylactic acid , polymer , chemical engineering , microfiber , chemistry , fiber , materials science , nanotechnology , polymer chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Electrospinning is a versatile technique for the fabrication of polymer‐based nano/microfibers. Both physical and chemical characteristics of pre‐electrospinning polymer solutions affect the morphology and chemistry of electrospun nanofibers. An atmospheric‐pressure plasma jet has previously been shown to induce physical modifications in polylactic acid (PLA) solutions. This work aims at investigating the plasma‐induced chemistry in organic solutions of PLA, and their effects on the resultant PLA nanofibers. Therefore, very broad range of gas, liquid, and solid (nanofiber) analyzing techniques has been applied. Plasma alters the acidity of the solutions. SEM studies illustrated that complete fiber morphology enhancement only occurred when both PLA and solvent molecules were exposed to pre‐electrospinning plasma treatment. Additionally, the surface chemistry of the PLA nanofibers was mostly preserved.