Electrospinning fabrication of partially crystalline bisphenol A polycarbonate nanofibers: The effects of molecular motion and conformation in solutions

Abstract

Partially crystalline bisphenol A polycarbonate (BPAPC) nanofibers were successfully fabricated using a combination of a centrifugal field (1800 rpm) and an electrostatic field (25 kV). The BPAPC solution properties are key factors for adequately electrospinning the partially crystalline BPAPC nanofibers. The correlation times ( τ c) of methyl ( τ c = 9.3 ns) and of benzene-ring ( τ c = 15.3 and 15.8 ns) motions in the 14 wt.% BPAPC/THF solution were longer than in CH 2Cl 2 and CHCl 3, as determined by NMR. The distribution-peak maximum of the hydrodynamic radius of BPAPC in the 14 wt.% THF solution ( R h = 15 Å) was higher than in CH 2Cl 2 ( R h = 9.2 Å) and CHCl 3 ( R h = 7.9 Å), as evidenced by DLS data. We conclude that the BPAPC assumed a denser, more worm-like chain conformation in THF solvation.