Template Assisted Change in Morphology from Particles to Nanofibers by Side-by-Side Electrospinning of Block Copolymers

Template assisted change in morphology from particles to nanofibers was shown for low molar mass amphiphilic block copolymers by side-by-side electrospinning. The reversibly cross-linkable particles and fibers could be easily obtained from the same polymeric material by choosing proper processing conditions and spinning nozzles. The conventional electrospinning with single-component nozzle provided only particles. The morphology of the particles was controlled by varying the electrospraying conditions and characterized by SEM, optical microscope, and AFM. The same low molecular weight non-spinnable polymers provided fibrous morphology by Template Assisted Method (TAM) using side-by-side electrospinning nozzle with PEO as sacrificial polymer.mame201400059-gra-0001