Abstract
AbstractThis study deals with the subject of optimizing the melt electrospinning process of polypropylene with the aim of producing nanoscale fibers. A feasibility study with two polypropylene types and different additives to adapt the material composition is performed. The polypropylene types are of different molar masses to adapt the viscosity to the process. The used additives, sodium stearate and Irgastat®P 16, have a positive effect on the electrical conductivity of the polymer melt. In addition, process parameter optimization is done by varying the climate chamber temperature, using different collector voltages and varying the nozzle-collector distance. A strong influence of the climate chamber temperature has been proven and leads to a desired temperature of 100°C. The fiber diameter is dependent on process parameters, material melt viscosity and electrical conductivity. With optimized process and material parameters, the fiber diameter could be minimized to a median value of 210 nm.
Highlights
One of the biggest modification in the process is the climate chamber, which allows a regulation of the ambient temperature during spinning
The temperature is evaluated from room temperature and measured in 20°C intervals up to 120°C
A steady decrease of the fiber diameter can be observed with a homogeneous spinning quality and a minimal fiber diameter at 100°C for both polypropylene compositions with additives
Summary
A further study by Cao et al showed that the addition of a β-nucleating agent improves the melt electrospinning process of polypropylene and reduces the fiber diameter below 5 μm. The main focus of this study, the minimization of the fiber diameter by optimizing the polymer compound and the process parameters, has already been approached in several studies. By adding viscosity reducing additives such as Irgatec® from BASF SE, the reduction of the average fiber diameter from 35.6 ± 1.7 μm to 840 ± 190 nm was achieved [22]. The fiber diameter is to be minimized to the nanometer range by optimizing the polypropylene compound with the addition of a low molar mass polyolefin, sodium stearate and an antistatic agent at certain concentrations. The experimental setup is optimized and extended in a targeted manner in order to achieve the goal of this work: a homogeneous fiber diameter in the nanometer range
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
