Advances in Polymer Nanofibers II

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2022) | Viewed by 6662

Special Issue Editors

Department of Chemistry, Inha University, Inha 22212, Republic of Korea
Interests: polymer chemistry; functional polymers; structure-properties relationships; interfacial behaviors; structurally/chemically tailored polymeric materials; micro- and nano-patterning; nano-bio applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, 143, Hanggaulro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si 15588, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Interests: polymer nanofiber; electrospinning; nanofiber fabrication; surface modification; functionalization of nanofiber; nanofiber applications; functional nanofiber; nanofiber composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer nanofibers are one-dimensional soft nanomaterials in the nanometer scale, exhibiting unique physicochemical properties and characteristics, such as a high surface-to-mass ratio, high porosity with excellent pore interconnectivity, flexibility with reasonable mechanical strength, and easiness to interact with other organic and inorganic materials. Technologies based on polymer nanofibers have largely influenced the fields of materials science and engineering to create new types of material platforms in a wide range of applications. To date, the technologies based on fiber formations, including functional polymers, structural and morphological controls, and functionality incorporations by physical blending or chemical reactions, have enabled tremendous and rapid advances in various fields in biomedical, energy, environmental, and electronic engineering by accompanying fundamental and applied experimental and theoretical studies. All these achievements should be explored and merged for the next-generation materials, seeking ideal target properties.

This Special Issue aims to focus on recent research efforts and advances in creating functional materials with precisely tailored and engineered polymer nanofibers achieving desirable physical/chemical properties for target applications. Topics potentially include fiber formations with novel functional polymers, fundamental science on fiber formations, post-processing to impart functionalities, composite fabrications, emerging biomedical, energy, environmental, and electronic applications, amongst many others.

Prof. Dr. Myungwoong Kim
Dr. Hoik Lee
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymer nanofibers
  • functional nanofibers
  • advanced nanofiber fabrication
  • functionalizations
  • nanofiber composites
  • biomedical applications
  • environmental remediation applications
  • energy applications
  • electronic applications

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4351 KiB  
Article
The Effect of the PVA/Chitosan/Citric Acid Ratio on the Hydrophilicity of Electrospun Nanofiber Meshes
by Zsuzsanna Czibulya, Attila Csík, Ferenc Tóth, Petra Pál, István Csarnovics, Romána Zelkó and Csaba Hegedűs
Polymers 2021, 13(20), 3557; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13203557 - 15 Oct 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3200
Abstract
In this study, scaffolds were prepared via an electrospinning method for application in oral cavities. The hydrophilicity of the fiber mesh is of paramount importance, as it promotes cell spreading; however, the most commonly used polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and other hydrophilic fiber meshes [...] Read more.
In this study, scaffolds were prepared via an electrospinning method for application in oral cavities. The hydrophilicity of the fiber mesh is of paramount importance, as it promotes cell spreading; however, the most commonly used polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and other hydrophilic fiber meshes immediately disintegrate in aqueous media. In contrast, the excessive hydrophobicity of the scaffolds already inhibits cells adhesion on the surface. Therefore, the hydrophilicity of the fiber meshes needed to be optimized. Scaffolds with different polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/chitosan/citric acid ratios were prepared. The addition of chitosan and the heat initiated cross-linkage of the polymers via citric acid enhanced the scaffolds’ hydrophobicity. The optimization of this property could be followed by contact angle measurements, and the increased number of cross-linkages were also supported by IR spectroscopy results. The fibers’ physical parameters were monitored via low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). As biocompatibility is essential for dental applications, Alamar Blue assay was used to prove that meshes do not have any negative effects on dental pulp stem cells. Our results showed that the optimization of the fiber nets was successful, as they will not disintegrate in intraoral cavities during dental applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer Nanofibers II)
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11 pages, 2082 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Activity and Filtration Performance of Hybrid TiO2-Cellulose Acetate Nanofibers for Air Filter Applications
by Miyeon Kwon, Juhea Kim and Juran Kim
Polymers 2021, 13(8), 1331; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081331 - 19 Apr 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2807
Abstract
A facile method to prepare hybrid cellulose acetate nanofibers containing TiO2 (TiO2-CA nanofibers) by emulsion electrospinning technique was developed for the denitrification and filtration of particulate matters (PMs). This work found that hybrid TiO2-CA nanofibers mainly contain the [...] Read more.
A facile method to prepare hybrid cellulose acetate nanofibers containing TiO2 (TiO2-CA nanofibers) by emulsion electrospinning technique was developed for the denitrification and filtration of particulate matters (PMs). This work found that hybrid TiO2-CA nanofibers mainly contain the anatase form of TiO2, contributing to the photodecomposition of NO gas under UV irradiation. The TiO2-CA nanofibers also showed an excellent filtration efficiency of 99.5% for PM0.5 and a photocatalytic efficiency of 78.6% for NO removal. Furthermore, the results implied that the morphology of the TiO2-CA nanofibers, such as micro-wrinkles and protrusions, increased the surface hydrophobicity up to 140°, with the increased addition of TiO2 nanoparticles. The proposed TiO2-CA nanofibers, as a result, would be promising materials for highly efficient and sustainable air filters for industrial and home appliance systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer Nanofibers II)
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