Fabrication and mechanical properties of polymer composite nanofiber mats

Abstract

In recent years, as microelectronics technology advances, the number of miniature devices has increased as well as the demand for power supply. Polymer-based electrospun nanofiber membranes have been used as lithium-ion (LI) battery separators and filtration medium. This study investigates the mechanical properties of orientated polyamide 6 (PA6) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber mats prepared by electrospinning a solution containing PAN and PA6, separately. The PA6 granules and the PAN powder were dissolved in formic acid solvent and N, N-dimethylformamide solvent, respectively. To generate the composite mat, the PA6 nanofiber mat was first electrospun, followed by the PAN nanofiber mat directly electrospun on the PA6 nanofiber mat. In our experiment, we employed the following electrospinning parameters: a voltage of 25 kV, a flow rate of 0.65 ml/h, 25 cm between the tip of the syringe and the drum collector centre, and a constant rotating speed of 1800 rpm. The mechanical properties of nanofiber composite mats, such as the tensile strength and Young’s modulus, were examined. The results demonstrate a reduction in the tensile strength and an increase in the elastic modulus of the composite nanofiber mats by 12% and 126% compared to PA6 nanofiber mats, respectively. The structure of spun nanofibers enables their use as separators for lithium-ion batteries and as a filtering medium. This article suggests the improved mechanical characteristics of nanofiber membranes for use as a barrier in lithium-ion batteries and for filtration.