Preparation and characterization of polyvinylidene fluoride/polysulfone-amide composite nanofiber mats

Abstract

The polyvinylidene fluoride/polysulfone-amide (PVDF/PSA) composite nanofiber mats were prepared via electrospinning method and characterized systematically by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). In this study, five PVDF/PSA composite spinning solutions with the setting of different mass ratio were mixed by using mechanical agitation method. The mechanical property, wettability and the air permeability of the PVDF/PSA composite nanofiber mats were also measured and discussed. The results show that the addition of PSA has tuned the composite nanofiber mats from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. It is also found that the mechanical property, thermal stability could be improved with the increasing percentage of PVDF component. The PVDF/PSA composite nanofiber mats with the mass ratio of 5/5 gives the best air permeability. In this work, the newly developed composite nanofiber mats have the potential applications in the development of filtration membranes, protective materials, lithium battery diaphragms, etc.