Model Supported Morphology Control of Electrospray Deposited Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Film

Abstract

AbstractPreparation of polymer films with electrospray deposition has been investigated. Morphologies of poly(vinylidene fluoride), prepared under a range of different conditions, have been imaged with AFM. To generalize the conditions under which a particular morphology appears, a model has been used. The model incorporates the parameters that determine droplet size and droplet evaporation in the electrospray deposition process. With the model, film morphology has been shown to depend on the droplet volume at impact, available surface area on the substrate and rate of solvent evaporation from the film. With this information, the model can predict the film morphology under many different spray conditions. This has been demonstrated by determining and predicting the conditions under which PVDF displays the smoothest films.