Polycarbonate Fibers Research Articles

Synthesis and morphology of Ag nanowires by fiber template method

The synthesis of traditional silver nanowires often uses a polyol method. There are many factors that affect the structure of silver nanowires, such as silver ion concentration, type and amount of reducing agent, oxygen concentration, stirring speed, temperature, and time. The synthesis conditions are harsh and difficult to replicate. In this paper, natural fibers and synthetic fibers were used as templates to assist the polyol reduction method to obtain silver nanowires with uniform structure. The effect of fiber types on the structure of silver nanowires were studied, including hemp fibers, wheat straw fibers, tobacco stem fibers, and polycarbonate fibers. Polycarbonate fibers induced the synthesis of silver nanowires with the highest aspect ratio, highest yield, and most uniform diameter distribution. The effect of polycarbonate fibers concentrations on the morphology and conductivity of silver nanowires were also studied. When the polycarbonate mass concentration was 8.5 × 10−4 g/mL, the aspect ratio of silver nanowires was the highest. The effect of polycarbonate fibers length (2 mm\\5 mm\\7 mm) on the morphology of silver nanowires were also studied. When the length of the template polycarbonate fibers was 7 mm, the length to diameter ratio and conductivity of the nanowires obtained are the best. Furthermore, the reaction kinetics of the reaction were studied via multiple sampling of silver nanowire reaction solutions and characterized by using UV–visible spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The synthesis method of silver nanowires using fiber template is simple and fast, and can be used to synthesize silver nanowires with uniform diameter distribution on a large scale, thus solving the bottleneck problem of harsh synthesis conditions for silver nanowires. The resulting silver nanowires were blended with carboxymethyl cellulose to prepare conductive inks, which were coated on paper and cured at 180 °C for 30 min to achieve good conductivity.

Molecular dynamics for optimizing interfacial properties of carbon fiber-reinforced polycarbonate: molecular conformation

ABSTRACT Molecular dynamic simulation along with experiments was used to study polycarbonate (PC) molecular conformation on composite interfacial properties. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) variations of composites with carbon fiber roughness were quite different between sized and unsized carbon fibers, which seem to conflict with the theory that rougher surface is harder to wet. By the results of molecular dynamic simulation, it was found that the conformation of PC molecules through solvent intervention could be higher, which is conducive to the formation of π–π stacking conformation between PC and carbon fibers and benefits the interface interaction, resultantly affecting the ILSS more when the carbon fiber surface area was low. When the specific surface area was high enough, the ILSS gets to a saturation value, because the fracture area changes from the interface to the matrix. It is concluded that the effects of sizing on ILSS varied with carbon fiber surface roughness, and the molecular conformation of the matrix affected by sizing or processing must be considered. Therefore, it is important to enhance the physical interactions with carbon fiber for thermoplastic resin matrixes.

Synthesis of mace silver nanorod with particles and water-alcohol room-temperature-curing UV conductive ink

At present, the silver nanorods of UV conductive ink have the problems of easy agglomeration of silver nanorods, and slow curing speed. In this paper, firstly mace-like silver nanorods with inorganic particles were synthesized by using polycarbonate fibers as soft-templates, AgNO3 as silver source. The diameters and lengths of silver nanorods were 0.25–0.35 μm and 2.1–5.1 μm. There are many wolf-tooth particles (0.20–0.35 μm) on the silver nanorods which prevented the silver nanorods from reuniting. The obtained silver nanorods were not easy to agglomerate. The minimum resistance value of the coating could reach 1∼10Ω. Secondly, a kind of water-alcohol UV conductive ink with low heat treatment temperature (140 °C), fast drying and curing speed and water-alcohol system was prepared. Water-alcohol soluble P(AA-r-HEMA)-g-GMA was used as the prepolymer, glycidyl triethylenetetraamine hexamethacrylate (TGMA) was used as the monomer, and 907 and ITX were used as photoinitiators. The effects of the types and contents of different photoinitiators (907:1%–5%, ITX: 0.2 %∼1 %), species and contents of prepolymer (30 %∼50 %), the number and content of monomers with different functional groups (30 %∼50 %) on the UV-curing rate were studied. The curing rate was the fastest when the mass fraction of photoinitiator ITX was 0.4 %, the mass fraction of the prepolymer with 30 % GMA content was 50 % and the mass fraction of monomer TGMA was 50 %. The curing speed can reach 2–3 s, and the ink film surface was smooth without bubbles. At last, UV conductive ink was prepared by using the obtained water-alcohol UV curing system as the bonding material and mace-like silver nanorods as the conductive filler. The influence of heat treatment temperature and time on the conductive properties of the coating was explored. The optimal heat treatment temperature was 140 °C, and the heat treatment time was 30 min.

Superparamagnetic characteristic of surface capped Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles reinforced polycarbonate nanocomposite fibers with mixed magnetic phases

The purpose of this work is to prepare magnetic polycarbonate nanocomposite fibers from nonmagnetic polycarbonate material by electrospinning method. This was achieved by the incorporation of oleic acid capped magnesium zinc ferrite (Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4) nanoparticles during the spinning process. The presence of uniformly distributed surface capped Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles in the polymer nanofibers was detected by TEM investigation. The nanocomposite fibers retained and exhibited the excellent surface morphology as that of the plane polycarbonate fibers prepared under the same solution and spinning parameters. FT-IR and XRD studies revealed that, there did not happen any degradation to the polycarbonate material even with a high nanofiller load or under a high applied potential during electrospinning. UV-Visible spectral study shows that the polycarbonate nanocomposite fibers attained attractive visible light absorption power. The increased polymer entanglement by the proper interaction with the ferrite nanoparticles attributes to the increase in the glass transition temperature of the nanocomposite fibers. The VSM analysis was carried out to find the magnetic parameters like saturation magnetization, coercivity and retentivity of the composite fibers. Mossbauer spectral analysis was done to know the isomer shift, quadrupole splitting and the average hyperfine field. PC-Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 composite nanofibers exhibit quadrupole splitting values between 0.35 and 0.57 mm/s

Surface Potential Driven Water Harvesting from Fog.

Access to clean water is a global challenge, and fog collectors are a promising solution. Polycarbonate (PC) fibers have been used in fog collectors but with limited efficiency. In this study, we show that controlling voltage polarity and humidity during the electrospinning of PC fibers improves their surface properties for water collection capability. We experimentally measured the effect of both the surface morphology and the chemistry of PC fiber on their surface potential and mechanical properties in relation to the water collection efficiency from fog. PC fibers produced at high humidity and with negative voltage polarity show a superior water collection rate combined with the highest tensile strength. We proved that electric potential on surface and morphology are crucial, as often designed by nature, for enhancing the water collection capabilities via the single-step production of fibers without any postprocessing needs.

Laser induced porous electrospun fibers for enhanced filtration of xylene gas

With the development of industry, the harm caused by volatile organic compound (VOC) gases to the human body has received much attention. This study reveals as the first attempt to apply laser irradiation technique to the preparation of porous electrospun fibers with excellent low-concentration VOC gases adsorption properties. The laser-sensitive polycarbonate (PC) fibers prepared from electrospinning was treated in air by scanning with a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd: YAG) pulsed laser beam to achieve porous structure. During the laser irradiation process, a series of changes such as melting, thermal degradation, and carbonization of the polymer fibers can change the surface structure. The morphology of the porous structure is related to the degree of laser-induced carbonization, and the laser current is an important parameter for determining the degree of laser-induced carbonization of a particular polymer. The results indicate that porous carbon structures can be created on the surface of the fiber membrane by controlling the degree of laser-induced carbonization, and a highly xylene gas adsorption efficiency is exhibited. This study may provide useful insights for developing electrospun porous fibers with VOC adsorption by simple, effective and environmentally friendly laser post-processing process.

A new approach for the shaping up of very fine and beadless UV light absorbing polycarbonate fibers by electrospinning

An innovation will be recognized as successful only if it satisfies all phases of product development; i.e. from the specification to mass production. Therefore, a cost-effective production by keeping the best possible characteristics is vital in any Industry. Large scale production of polymer fibers with ultrafine morphology is such a challenge to the field of nanotechnology. The idea proposed here utilizes the versatile electrospinning technology for the preparation of uniform, beadless and ultraviolet light absorbing polycarbonate (PC) nanofibers. The average diameter limits to 114 nm and that too by using most convenient and comparatively less toxic solvent mixture. This method is simple and so far, it is not reported elsewhere. For THF-DMF system a PC concentration of 17 w/v% and for DCM-DMF system a PC concentration of 15 w/v% was found to be the optimum polymer concentration. The average fiber diameter and bead density were very much influenced by the viscosity, conductivity and concentration of the solution used for electrospinning. The PC fibers (PC concentration of 15 w/v % in DCM-DMF system) with lowest average diameter of 114 nm shows excellent ultraviolet absorption, semicrystalline nature, enhanced glass transition temperature and thermal stability.

A cost effective and facile approach to prepare beadless polycarbonate nanofibers with ultrafine fiber morphology

Preparing defect free nanofibers with average diameter well below 100 nm is a challenge to researchers by electrospinning technology. In the present contribution, the electrospinning method was utilized to prepare beadless polycarbonate (PC) nanofibers with average diameter 90 nm using comparatively less toxic and suitable solvents in a convenient way. Spinning PC with pure dichloromethane (DCM) and also with 1:1 mixture of DCM and N,N dimethylformamide under the same spinning parameters with varying PC concentration has very much helped to establish the effect of solvents on fiber formation. This study also proved the impact of solution concentration, viscosity, and solution conductivity on the formation of beadless ultrafine PC fibers and subsequently on the bead density and average fiber diameter. The appropriate proportion of solvents under suitable spinning parameters has helped to minimize the quantity of PC during the formation of bead free nanofibers by electrospinning. The ultrafine, uniform, and beadless morphology of the electrospun PC fibers can be utilized for various nanotechnology advancements. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:1799–1809, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers

Quantification of Zinc in Thermally Conducting Polycarbonate Containing Fiber‐type SiO2 Fillers

In this work, a new analytical method based on dry ashing followed by Si removal was developed for the determination of Zn in polycarbonate (PC)‐conducting polymers containing fiber‐type SiO2 fillers. Since major matrices of the polymers, i.e., PC and SiO2 fibers, were removed during the treatment, low interference and reproducible result were achieved in inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). When the developed method was applied to PC polymers used for electrical appliances, the recovery was obtained in the range of 103.5% to 108.8% with relative standard deviations of <12.1%. Furthermore, the determined polymers were used as reference materials for laser‐ablation ICP‐MS (LA‐ICP‐MS) and laser induced‐breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in order to test the feasibility of screening and quality control. Although the mapping images of LIBS showed severe inhomogeneity, the averaged intensities of LIBS and LA‐ICP‐MS displayed reasonable correlations with the determined concentrations of Zn. The result indicates that both methods have a potential for screening and quantitative analysis of the conducting polymers used in manufacturing process, even if fiber‐type SiO2 fillers were embedded.

Полимерные нетканые композиционные материалы на основе волокон фторполимера и поликарбоната

Полимерные нетканые композиционные материалы на основе волокон фторполимера и поликарбоната

Relationship between surface concentration of amphiphilic quaternary ammonium biocides in electrospun polymer fibers and biocidal activity

Electrospinning was utilized to generate antimicrobial Nylon and polycarbonate fibers for potential applications including self-decontaminating fabrics, wound dressings, and filtration media. The effects of quaternary ammonium salt concentration on fiber morphology, diameter, and antimicrobial activity of the resulting fiber mats were investigated. Fibers were characterized utilizing scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, while antimicrobial activity was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus. The co-electrospinning of soluble quaternary ammonium biocides within polymeric solutions generated uniform fibers with diameters ranging from 91 to 278nm for Nylon and 0.55–2.34μm for polycarbonate. Fiber morphology and diameter of the resulting fibers were shown to be dependent on polymer type and biocide concentration. A positive correlation between surface concentration of quaternary ammonium salts and antimicrobial activity was observed as fibers loaded with biocides exhibited up to a 7 log reduction of viable bacteria.

Elliptical Hollow Fiber With Inner Silver Coating for Linearly Polarized Terahertz Transmission

Silver-coated elliptical hollow polycarbonate fibers for transmission of linearly polarized terahertz (THz) radiation are fabricated and characterized. A polarization ratio of 90% and a transmission loss of 0.79 dB/m at 0.65 THz are obtained for a 290-mm long fiber with major and minor inner radii of 2.42 and 1.18 mm. Modal birefringence in the order of 10-3-10-2 is predicted in the frequency region of 0.3-1.5 THz. We also investigate the transmission characteristics of deformed fibers and found that the fiber with a semicircle cross section could rotate the direction of a linear polarization.

Creating Superhydrophobic Polycarbonate Fiber Network from Hydrophilic Polycarbonate through Electrospinning

ABSTRACTConsiderable research has focused on the formation of superhydrophobic surfaces utilizing both the chemical composition of surfaces and geometric effects. In this study, a superhydrophobic polycarbonate (PC) network surface was produced from hydrophilic polycarbonate through electrospinning process. Complex surface geometries often related to material roughness is used to evaluate the wetting behavior of electrospun polycarbonate fiber network. The surface properties of electrospun polycarbonate fibers are therefore examined with the potential to exploit the fibers through enhancing hydrophobic behavior. Characterization and analysis of PC electrospun fiber and PC film surfaces were carried out to compare surface roughness with wetting contact angle. Analytical models are used to describe hydrophobicity in terms of roughness.

Control of the morphology of micro/nanostructures of polycarbonate via electrospinning

Many of the applications proposed for bioassays, scaffolds for tissue engineering, filtrations, and supports for catalysts require polymeric membranes with large specific surface areas. Polycarbonate (PC) is a possible candidate for these applications because of its excellent mechanical performance and good biocompatibility. Electrospinning is a simple and effective method for large-scale fabrication of micro-/nano- fibrous membranes with large specific surface areas. How to control the morphology of electrospun PC fibers, however, has not been systematically investigated. We describe the controllable fabrication of continuous and uniform PC fibers. We electrospin PC/chloroform solutions doped with different types of surfactants including anionic, zwitterionic, nonionic and cationic surfactants. Only cationic surfactants can lead to the successful fabrication of uniform PC fibers. After the analysis of the correlation between solution properties such as viscosity, surface tension, and conductivity and the morphology of electrospun fibers, we conclude that the addition of cationic surfactants such as cetane trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) that leads to a decrease in viscosity is the main factor responsible for the formation of PC fibers. The demonstration of the fabrication of uniform PC fibers will lend experience to processing other polymers into fibers via electrospinning.

Synthesis and Optical Properties of Co-Doped ZnO Submicrometer Tubes from Electrospun Fiber Templates

Submicrometer ZnO tubes have been synthesized by a polymer based template approach using sol-gel deposition. Zinc acetate, a precursor to ZnO, was deposited on catalytically active electrospun polycarbonate fibers approximately 250+/-100 nm in diameter. Thermal degradation of the core fibers resulted in the oxidation of zinc acetate to produce ZnO nanotubes with diameters of approximately 500+/-100 nm and an average wall thickness of approximately 100+/-50 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy were used to characterize the composition, structure, and morphology of the tubes. Powder X-ray diffraction results showed that a wurtzite crystalline phase was obtained. The UV-visible absorption spectrum was red-shifted by 25 nm due to narrowing of the ZnO band gap (approximately 3.22 eV) as a result of Co doping. Similarly, green band emission was not observed in the emission spectrum, while emission lifetime was determined to be 620 ps from photoluminescence studies.

Double‐yielding behavior in injection‐molded polycarbonate/high‐density polyethylene/ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymer blends

AbstractA uniaxial tensile test was performed for polycarbonate (PC)/high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)/ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) blends with a fixed EVA content but various PC contents. The double‐yielding phenomenon and its composition dependence, as observed in the PC/HDPE blend, were again detected. EVA did not serve as a successful compatibilizer of PC and HDPE in the PC/HDPE/EVA blend. The incorporation of EVA resulted in a larger size and a more irregular shape of the PC fibers, as indicated in the scanning electron microscope observations; this, consequently, produced a higher serious stress concentration in the blend. This more complicated and instable morphology produced different double‐yielding behaviors in the PC/HDPE/EVA blends compared with the binary one. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008

Preparation and characterization of antimicrobial polycarbonate nanofibrous membrane

Electrospinning of polycarbonate (PC)/chloroform solution with quaternary ammonium salt (benzyl triethylammonium chloride, BTEAC) was investigated to develop antimicrobial nanofibrous membranes for ultrafiltration. With BTEAC additive, ultrafine PC fibers were continuously generated and densely mounted without the blockage of spinning tip on electrospinning. When small amounts of BTEAC were added to the PC solution, the average diameter was also decreased from several micrometers to submicron range. It was found that the conductivity of the PC solution was a major parameter affecting the morphology and diameter of the electrospun PC fibers as well as the electrospinnability of PC. The nanofibrous membranes electrospun from the PC solution with BTEAC exhibited better excellent antimicrobial activity than those prepared without BTEAC. The PC nanofibrous filter shows a good filtration efficiency to satisfy the criterion of HEPA filter, and the pressure drop of the PC filters are within the normal range. Therefore, PC nanofibrous membrane showed a great potential as a candidate for ultrafiltration, compared to a commercial HEPA filter.

Fabrication and Thermal Analysis of Submicron Silver Tubes Prepared from Electrospun Fiber Templates

Submicron silver tubes have been synthesized by a polymer-based template approach. Two different approaches to metallization, electroless deposition and exchange plating, were evaluated within the template approach. Silver films with average thickness approximately 50-100 nm were deposited on polycarbonate fibers approximately 400 nm in diameter by each technique, resulting in tubes with a diameter between 450 and 500 nm after thermal degradation of core fibers. These nanomaterials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning thermal microscopy. The thermal conductivity of the silver submicron tubes was found to differ depending on the method of preparation, with tubes from electroless plating possessing relative thermal conductivity values that were 1 order of magnitude higher than that from exchange plating, 3000 W/m x K and 660 W/m x K, respectively. Interestingly, these results indicate that silver submicron tubes possess higher thermal conductivity than the bulk metal. This observation is discussed in the context of the continuous conduction path of the tubes and their high surface area-to-volume ratio.

Hollow polycarbonate fiber for Er:YAG laser light delivery

We developed hollow fibers with polycarbonate (PC) capillaries for use as a supporting tube. The PC capillaries were prepared by using a glass-drawing technique. Hollow PC fibers are safer and more flexible than hollow glass fibers because no fragments are released when the fibers are broken in various applications. Inner coating layers of silver and cyclic olefin polymer (COP) enhanced the reflection rate at the Er:YAG laser light wavelength. Using these fibers, we attained low loss for Er:YAG laser light transmission. By adjusting the drawing temperature in the fabrication of the PC capillaries, we created a smooth inner surface and uniform PC capillaries. We also demonstrated low-loss properties for visible pilot beams.

Morphology and properties of melt-spun polycarbonate fibers containing single- and multi-wall carbon nanotubes

Polycarbonate fibers based single wall and multi-wall nanotubes (SWNT and MWNT) were prepared by first dispersing the nanotubes via solvent blending and/or melt extrusion followed by melt spinning the composites to facilitate nanotube alignment along the fiber axis. Morphological studies involving polarized Raman spectroscopy and wide angle X-ray scattering using a synchrotron radiation source show that reasonable levels of nanotube alignment are achievable. Detailed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations on the polymer-extracted composite fibers reveal that MWNT more readily disperse within the PC matrix and have higher aspect ratios than do SWNT; extraction of the polymer from the composite prior to TEM imaging helps overcome the common issue of poor atomic contrast between the CNT and the organic matrix. Stress–strain analysis on the composites fibers show that MWNT, in general, provide greater stiffness and strength than those based on SWNT. Despite significant reinforcement of the polycarbonate, the level of reinforcement is far below what could be achieved if the nanotubes were completely dispersed and aligned along the fiber axis as predicted by composite theory.