Radiation grafting onto electrospun fibers

E Robinette; G Palmese

The performance of polymeric materials in a particular application depends to a great extent on the properties of the interface or interphase between the polymer and the applied environment. Grafting is a useful technique to modify these polymer surface properties and construct materials whose bulk and surface properties are different. Radiation grafting has been a particularly effective form of grafting because a high concentration of reactive sites is produced on the polymer surface without chemical initiation. Radiation sources include E-beam, UV light, and plasma treatment. The concept of using radiation grafting as a method for tailoring polymer surface properties has been proposed for a wide variety of applications; some of which include bio-medical, textile, electrical, and membrane applications. In this work, we are focused on applying radiation grafting technology to nanoscale polymer systems, specifically nanofibers produced through electrospinning. Polysulfone (PSF) has been selected as the bulk polymer in the present work because it has the ability to be electrospun into sub-micron fibers and has shown versatility in the type of radiation that can be used and monomers that can be grafted. The only criteria for the grafting monomers are that they have a functional double bond for reaction and that they do not dissolve the bulk polymer. One monomer that fits these criteria is acrylamide. Surface analysis (XPS, ATR-FTIR, ESEM, and contact angle measurements) has shown that we have successfully grafted acrylamide onto polysulfone electrospun fibers.

Radiation grafting onto electrospun fibers

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Radiation grafting onto electrospun fibers

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Abstract

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