Effect of receiver plate temperature and magnetic lens on the performance of electrospun PAN

Abstract

The homebuilt traditional electrostatic spinning apparatus was equipped with a silicone rubber heating plate and a magnetic lens to produce polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber films. The PAN nanofibers used in this experiment were examined using a scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) as well as other characterization tools to determine their morphology, diameter, crystallinity, thickness, and mechanical characteristics. The experimental results showed that the combined effect of two parameters, the temperature of the receiver plate and the magnetic field generated by the magnetic lens let to the production of fibers with a smaller diameter (308 nm). The magnetic field generated by the magnetic lens increased the thickness of the nanofiber membrane, whereas the temperature decreased the diameter of the nanofibers. The combined effect of the temperature and magnetic fields increased the thickness of the nanofiber membrane. The combined effect of the aforementioned parameters led to a nanofiber crystallinity of 70.72%, which was higher than the average crystallinity generated by the individual impact of the said parameters. The mechanical characteristics also improved significantly with an increase in receiver plate temperature. In conclusion, the combined effect of the temperature of the receiver plate and the magnetic field generated by the magnetic lens improved the performance of the PAN nanofibers and was more significant than their independent impact. A foundation for the preparation of high-performance filtration membranes was laid and the results paved the way for industrializing the process.