Journal
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 38, Issue 9, Pages -Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/marc.201600723
Keywords
electrospinning; mechanical properties; nanofibers; welding
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R01 EB020050]
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- China Scholarship Council
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This communication describes a simple and effective method for welding electrospun nanofibers at the cross points to enhance the mechanical properties of their nonwoven mats. The welding is achieved by placing a nonwoven mat of the nanofibers in a capped vial with the vapor of a proper solvent. For polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers, the solvent is dichloromethane (DCM). The welding can be managed in a controllable fashion by simply varying the partial pressure of DCM and/or the exposure time. Relative to the pristine nanofiber mat, the mechanical strength of the welded PCL nanofiber mat can be increased by as much as 200%. Meanwhile, such a treatment does not cause any major structural changes, including morphology, fiber diameter, and pore size. This study provides a generic method for improving the mechanical properties of nonwoven nanofiber mats, holding great potential in various applications.
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