Electrospinning of linear homopolymers of poly(methyl methacrylate): exploring relationships between fiber formation, viscosity, molecular weight and concentration in a good solvent

• Published in: Polymer (Guilford) 2005-06, Vol.46 (13), p.4799-4810
• Main Authors: Gupta, Pankaj, Elkins, Casey, Long, Timothy E., Wilkes, Garth L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Concentration; Electrospinning; Exact sciences and technology; Machinery and processing; Plastics; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Spinning; Technology of polymers; Viscosity
• ISSN: 0032-3861; 1873-2291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2005.04.021

A series of seven linear homopolymers of poly(methylmethacrylate) ranging from 12,470 to 365,700 g/mol M w, were utilized to further explore scaling relationships between viscosity and concentration in a good solvent at 25 °C and to investigate the impact of these relationships on fiber formation during electrospinning. For each of the polymers investigated, chain dimensions (hydrodynamic radius and radius of gyration) were measured by dynamic light scattering to determine the critical chain overlap concentration, c *. The experimentally determined c *, was found to be in good agreement with the theoretically determined value that was calculated by the criteria c *∼1/[ η], where the intrinsic viscosity was estimated from the Mark–Houwink parameters, K and a (at 25 °C in dimethyl formamide) obtained from the literature. The plot of the zero shear viscosity vs. c/ c * distinctly separated into different solution regimes, viz. dilute ( c/ c *