Effects of applied voltage on the morphology and phases of electrospun poly(vinylidene difluoride) nanofibers

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AbstractElectrospinning is a simple and flexible process in continuous fiber fabrication. We investigate the effect of applied voltage on morphology and phases of poly(vinylidene difluoride) nanofibers obtained using the electrospinning technique. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed employing multiple characterizations such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The fiber diameter, affected by the spinning jet's deformation, has non‐uniform distribution at low voltages (10–16 kV) and is uniform at higher voltages (20 kV). Fiber uniformity developed due to the increased tension, which shrank the Taylor cone. The highest electroactive fraction () of phases was obtained for the smallest diameter fiber with an average diameter of 110 nm at an applied voltage of 20 kV. FTIR spectroscopy and XRD results indicate that the electric field raises the amount of phase to 74% at the present working parameters. HRTEM analysis revealed that the crystallites are very small, with α‐phase showing a size of around 10 nm and β‐phase is only of nanometric scale. Results also show that the c‐axis of α‐phase crystallites had a preferred orientation along the fiber axis. On the other hand, the c‐axis of β‐phase had a preferred orientation perpendicular to the fiber axis, implying that the direction of crystal growth for the α‐phase and β‐phase was different. © 2022 Society of Industrial Chemistry.