Diameter-dependent melting behaviour in electrospun polymer fibres

The melting temperature of individual electrospun polyethylene oxide (PEO) fibres was found using atomic force microscopy (AFM) topography imaging and nanomechanical measurements. The melting temperature of electrospun PEO fibres was observed to decrease with decreasing fibre diameter. A model predicting the size-dependent melting temperature in polymers based on surface area showed a good fit with our experimental data, indicating surface-mediated thermal behaviour.