Morphology and Physical Properties of Electrospun Polyethylene Oxide/Polyacrylonitrile Mats and Related Graphene-Based Nanocomposites

Highly porous bi-component fibers from poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) blends with 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, and 50/50 PEO/PAN weight ratios were prepared. Electrospinning of the blends produced thin fibers with averaged diameters ranging from 275 to 190 nm. Incorporation of 1 wt% graphene sheets (GS) into the fibrous blends mats effectively increased the tensile modulus and electrical conductivity of the matrix. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed the lowered T-m and Delta H-m of the PEO component in the bicomponent fibers, suggesting that the crystallization of PEO was hindered due to the presence of PAN. DSC results indicated a nucleation effect of GS on the crystallization of PEO. High porosity of the produced nanocomposite mats (about 93%) is a promising feature for their application as electrolytes. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 23:E152-E159, 2017. (c) 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers