Advancing Nanofiber Research: Assessing Nonsolvent Contributions to Structure Using Coaxial Electrospinning

초록

In this study, we explored the influence of molecularinteractionsand solvent evaporation kinetics on the formation of porous structuresin electrospun nanofibers, utilizing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polystyrene(PS) as model polymers. The coaxial electrospinning technique wasemployed to control the injection of water and ethylene glycol (EG)as nonsolvents into polymer jets, demonstrating its potential as apowerful tool for manipulating phase separation processes and fabricatingnanofibers with tailored properties. Our findings highlighted thecritical role of intermolecular interactions between nonsolvents andpolymers in governing phase separation and porous structure formation.Additionally, we observed that the size and polarity of nonsolventmolecules affected the phase separation process. Furthermore, solventevaporation kinetics were found to significantly impact phase separation,as evidenced by less distinct porous structures when using a rapidlyevaporating solvent like tetrahydrofuran (THF) instead of dimethylformamide(DMF). This work offers valuable insights into the intricate relationshipbetween molecular interactions and solvent evaporation kinetics duringelectrospinning, providing guidance for researchers developing porousnanofibers with specific characteristics for various applications,including filtration, drug delivery, and tissue engineering.

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