Pure Solvent-Based <i>In Situ</i> Microstructural Regulation for Advanced Fiber Materials

Abstract

The development trend in smart materials has become miniaturization and portability for the last few decades. Therefore, the study on the fabrication and modification of one-dimensional functional fibers has become a popular research field. In this study, we introduce a novel in-situ breath figure (iBF) technique for the preparation of PMMA@HPMs with controllable honeycomb porous microstructures (HPMs) on its surface. Different from the traditional BF method where an outer layer of HPMs will form with the introduced polymer solution, the HPMs formed by the pure solvent-based iBF method is integrated with the material itself, so no mechanical mismatch or interfacial incompatibility will occur. The main influential factors (e.g., immersion time, RH, and temperature) of the iBF are also systematically investigated. Besides, various functional nanomaterials can be directly anchored on the fiber surface during the iBF process, indicating that a kind of advanced fiber with customized functions could be easily achieved by this one-step strategy. Through investigating the formation of iBF-induced HPMs followed by manufacturing of functional fiber that integrated with nanomaterials, this study provides guidance and a new route for the preparation of multifunctional fiber-based materials to meet wider practical requirements.