Structure and properties of electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride)/polycarbonate membranes after hot‐press

Abstract

AbstractPoly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/polycarbonate (PC) dispersed solutions were electrospun into ultrafine core/shell fibers and modified by hot‐press. Morphology, tensile properties, porosity, and liquid absorption of the electrospun membranes as well as the crystallinity of PVDF were examined before and after hot‐press. Results showed that the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the electrospun membranes increased after hot‐press, especially when poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or benzyl triethylammonium chloride (BTEAC) was introduced for the formation of distinct core/shell fiber structure. The elongation of the hot‐pressed electrospun PVDF/PC membrane with addition of BTEAC was also significantly enhanced by reason of the clearest core/shell structure. The crystallinity of PVDF did not change too much before and after hot‐press, however the porosity and liquid absorption of the hot‐pressed electrospun membranes decreased to about 58% and around 75–90%, respectively, with no significant differences between PVDF/PC, PVDF/PC/PMMA, and PVDF/PC with BTEAC membranes. This study could be an example of electrospun membranes in multi‐polymer components and it could be extended to other systems of electrospinning for applications in filtration and so on. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011