Measurement of size-dependent glass transition temperature in electrospun polymer fibers using AFM nanomechanical testing

The glass transition temperature (Tg) of individual electrospun polymer polyvinyl alcohol fibers of varying diameter was measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM) based nanomechanical thermal analysis. Indentation and bending of individual electrospun fibers using AFM allowed the calculation of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of polymer science. Part B, Polymer physics Polymer physics, 2012-04, Vol.50 (8), p.546-551
Main Authors: Wang, Wei, Barber, Asa H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Atomic force microscopy
atomic force microscopy (AFM)
Elastic modulus
Electrospinning
Exact sciences and technology
Fibers
Fibers and threads
Forms of application and semi-finished materials
Glass transition temperature
mechanical properties
Nanomaterials
Nanostructure
Polymer industry, paints, wood
Polyvinyl alcohols
Technology of polymers
thermal properties
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Summary:The glass transition temperature (Tg) of individual electrospun polymer polyvinyl alcohol fibers of varying diameter was measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM) based nanomechanical thermal analysis. Indentation and bending of individual electrospun fibers using AFM allowed the calculation of the elastic modulus of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers across a range of different temperatures. The elastic modulus of electrospun PVA fibers was observed to decrease significantly when passing through Tg, which allowed accurate determination of Tg. The Tg of electrospun PVA fibers was shown to decrease for smaller fiber diameters especially for fiber diameters below 250 nm. This size‐dependent glass transition behavior of electrospun PVA fibers is indicated as being due to polymer chain confinement. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011 The thermal behavior of electrospun fibers with differing diameters is governed by polymer chain entanglements formed in the electrospinning process. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of individual electrospun poly‐vinyl alcohol fibers was measured here using atomic force microscopy (AFM)‐based nanomechanical bending and indentation testing during fiber heating. A drop in the bulk polymer Tg was recorded when the fiber diameter decreased below 250 nm, which indicated polymer chain confinement within the electrospun fiber.
ISSN:0887-6266
1099-0488
DOI:10.1002/polb.23030