Thermal treatment of electrospun polystyrene fibers: microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior

The effects of thermal treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of electrospun polystyrene (PS) fibers were investigated. Two types of thermal treatments were performed: (1) slow cooling from 80 °C to room temperature, (2) constant-temperature annealing at 110 °C for 10–120 min. SEM...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of materials science 2023-04, Vol.58 (13), p.6009-6024
Main Authors: Lombard, Juan Diego Shiraishi, Liu, Tianyu, Liu, Guoliang, Tallon, Carolina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Annealing
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Chemistry and Materials Science
Classical Mechanics
Cooling rate
Crystallography and Scattering Methods
Degradation
Ductility
Heat treatment
Materials Science
Mechanical properties
Microstructure
Polymer Sciences
Polymers & Biopolymers
Polystyrene
Polystyrene fibers
Polystyrene resins
Porosity
Recovery
Room temperature
Solid Mechanics
Stiffness
Tensile tests
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Summary:The effects of thermal treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of electrospun polystyrene (PS) fibers were investigated. Two types of thermal treatments were performed: (1) slow cooling from 80 °C to room temperature, (2) constant-temperature annealing at 110 °C for 10–120 min. SEM images showed that the internal porosity of the fibers decreases with a decreasing cooling rate and with an increasing annealing time. The severity of fusion of the fiber mats during cutting decreased with a decreasing cooling rate and was eliminated by constant-temperature annealing at 110 °C for 10 min. N 2 -physisorption did not show any relationship between the cooling rate and porosity of the fibers, but it was found that the volumes of micro- and mesopores in the fibers decreased with an increasing annealing time. Uniaxial tensile testing showed a degradation in mechanical properties at a cooling rate of 0.1 °C s −1 with a recovery in strength and ductility, but further degradation of stiffness at 0.03 °C s −1 . Similar degradation of mechanical properties was found after annealing at 110 °C for 10 min, followed by a recovery of strength, stiffness, and ductility at 60 min. This work demonstrates that annealing PS fibers is a viable method to decrease the porosity and eliminate any potential fusion of electrospun PS fiber mats so they can be used in other manufacturing processes, such as ceramic processing. Graphical Abstract
ISSN:0022-2461
1573-4803
DOI:10.1007/s10853-023-08339-0