Special Issue "Electrospun Nanofibers II: Theory and Its Applications"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2022.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Suman Sinha Ray
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) 842 West Taylor Street, M/C 251, Room 2039ERF, Chicago, IL 60607-7022, USA
Interests: experimental and theoretical study of production methods of nonwovens (electrospinning, solution blowing, and melt blowing); advanced manufacturing; experimental and theoretical thermal-fluid sciences at the micro/nanoscale; polymer and oxide materials; nano-structured materials; drug delivery; alternative energy; building science; acoustics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Further to the success of the Special Issue of Polymers “Electrospun Nanofibers: Theory and Its Applications”, we are delighted to reopen the Special Issue, now entitled “Electrospun Nanofibers II: Theory and Its Applications”.

Electrospinning is one of the most versatile methods for producing polymer nanofibers en masse. In this process, the polymer jet is subjected to a very high electric field (~1–2 kv/cm). This results in vigorous stretching and bending of the viscoelastic polymer jet, as a result of which, the polymer jet diameter attenuates from the order of 1 mm to ~100 nm. This sophisticated yet simple method of producing polymer nanofibers opens significant opportunities for research and new applications in various fields, from drug delivery to cell growth control, thermal management, energy storage applications, and others.

This Special Issue will deal with all the possible applications and theoretical studies regarding electrospinning and electrospinning-related process. The possible topics include, but are not limited to, electrospinning of novel nanofibers, biological applications, filtration, energy storage, studies of basic physical sciences using electrospun nanofibers, novel materials derived from the post-processing of nanofibers (e.g., oxide materials, organometallic materials, etc.), and others. In the present light of the virus-related pandemic, there will be a special focus on air filtration using nanofibers. Both original contributions and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Suman Sinha Ray
Guest Editor

Keywords

  • electrospinning
  • nanofibers
  • nanomaterials
  • energy storage
  • biological applications
  • filtration
  • theory

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Article
Introducing Deep Eutectic Solvents as a Water-Free Dyeing Medium for Poly (1,4-cYclohexane Dimethylene Isosorbide Terephthalate) PICT Nanofibers
Polymers 2021, 13(16), 2594; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162594 - 05 Aug 2021
Viewed by 310
Abstract
Water, one of the most priceless sources of life, is becoming dangerously threatened and contaminated due to population growth, industrial development, and climatic variations. The drainage of industrial, farming, and municipal sewage into drinking water sources pollutes the water. The textile processing industry [...] Read more.
Water, one of the most priceless sources of life, is becoming dangerously threatened and contaminated due to population growth, industrial development, and climatic variations. The drainage of industrial, farming, and municipal sewage into drinking water sources pollutes the water. The textile processing industry is one of the major consumers of water. Herein, the idea of water-free dyeing of electrospun poly (1, 4-cyclohexane dimethylene isosorbide terephthalate) PICT nanofibers is proposed. For this, two different deep eutectic solvents (DE solvents) were introduced as an alternative to water for the dyeing of PICT nanofibers in order to develop a water-free dyeing medium. For this, C.I. disperse red 167 was used as a model dye to improve the aesthetic properties of PICT nanofibers. PICT nanofibers were dyed by conventional batch dyeing and ultrasonic dyeing methods to investigate the effect of the dyeing technique on color buildup characteristics. Dyeing conditions such as dyeing time, temperature and, dye-concentration were optimized. Morphological and chemical characterization observations revealed a smooth morphology of dyed and undyed PICT nanofibers. The ultrasonically dyed nanofibers showed higher color strength and increased tensile strength compared to conventionally dyed nanofibers. Further, the consumption of electrical and thermal energy was also calculated for both processes. The results confirmed that the ultrasonic dyeing method can save 58% on electrical energy and 25% on thermal energy as compared to conventional dyeing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrospun Nanofibers II: Theory and Its Applications)
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Article
Loading of Au/Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles within and Outside of the Flexible SiO2 Electrospun Nanofibers as Highly Sensitive, Stable, Repeatable Substrates for Versatile and Trace SERS Detection
Polymers 2020, 12(12), 3008; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12123008 - 16 Dec 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 665
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a facile and cost-effective electrospinning technique to fabricate surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates, which is appropriate for multiple analytes detection. First of all, HAuCl4∙3H2O was added into the TEOS/PVP precursor solution, and flexible SiO [...] Read more.
In this paper, we propose a facile and cost-effective electrospinning technique to fabricate surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates, which is appropriate for multiple analytes detection. First of all, HAuCl4∙3H2O was added into the TEOS/PVP precursor solution, and flexible SiO2 nanofibers incorporated with gold nanoparticles (SiO2@Au) were prepared by electrospinning and calcination. Subsequently, the nanofibrous membranes were immersed in the tannic acid and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane solution for surface modification through Michael addition reaction. Finally, the composite nanofibers ([email protected]@SiO2@Au) were obtained by the in-situ growth of Ag nanoparticles on the surfaces of nanofibers with tannic acid as a reducing agent. Due to the synergistic enhancement of Au and Ag nanoparticles, the flexible and self-supporting composite nanofibrous membranes have excellent SERS properties. Serving as SERS substrates, they are extremely sensitive to the detection of 4-mercaptophenol and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, with an enhancement factor of 108. Moreover, they could be utilized to detect analytes such as pesticide thiram at a low concentration of 10−8 mol/L, and the substrates retain excellent Raman signals stability during the durability test of 60 days. Furthermore, the as-fabricated substrates, as a versatile SERS platform, could be used to detect bacteria of Staphylococcus aureus without a specific and complicated bacteria-aptamer conjugation procedure, and the detection limit is up to 103 colony forming units/mL. Meanwhile, the substrates also show an excellent repeatability of SERS response for S. aureus organelles. Briefly, the prime novelty of this work is the fabrication of Au/Ag bimetallic synergetic enhancement substrates as SERS platform for versatile detection with high sensitivity and stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrospun Nanofibers II: Theory and Its Applications)
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Article
Control of Macromolecule Chains Structure in a Nanofiber
Polymers 2020, 12(10), 2305; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12102305 - 08 Oct 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 624
Abstract
Mechanical property is one of the most important properties of nanofiber membranes. Electrospinning is widely used in the preparation of nanofibers due to its advantages such as good stability and easy operation. Compared with some nature silk, the mechanical properties of nanofibers prepared [...] Read more.
Mechanical property is one of the most important properties of nanofiber membranes. Electrospinning is widely used in the preparation of nanofibers due to its advantages such as good stability and easy operation. Compared with some nature silk, the mechanical properties of nanofibers prepared by electrospinning are poor. Based on the principle of vortex spinning and DNA structure, this paper designed an air vortex electrospinning device that can control the structure of macromolecular chains in nanofibers. When a weak air vortex is generated in the electrospinning process, the macromolecule chains will entangle with each other and form a DNA-like structure so as to improve the mechanical property. In addition, when a strong air vortex is generated during the electrospinning process, the nanofibers will adhere to each other, thereby enhancing the mechanical property and enlarging the pore size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrospun Nanofibers II: Theory and Its Applications)
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Article
Electromagnetic Interference Shield of Highly Thermal-Conducting, Light-Weight, and Flexible Electrospun Nylon 66 Nanofiber-Silver Multi-Layer Film
Polymers 2020, 12(8), 1805; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12081805 - 11 Aug 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1219
Abstract
A light-weight, flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield was prepared by creating a layer-structured metal-polymer composite film consisting of electrospun nylon 66 nanofibers with silver films. The EMI shielding effectiveness (SE), specific SE, and absolute SE of the composite were as high as 60.6 [...] Read more.
A light-weight, flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield was prepared by creating a layer-structured metal-polymer composite film consisting of electrospun nylon 66 nanofibers with silver films. The EMI shielding effectiveness (SE), specific SE, and absolute SE of the composite were as high as 60.6 dB, 67.9 dB cm3/g, and 6792 dB cm2/g in the X- and Ku-bands, respectively. Numerical and analytical calculations suggest that the energy of EM waves is predominantly absorbed by inter-layer multiple reflections. Because the absorbed EM energy is dissipated as heat, the thermal conductivity of absorption-dominant EMI shields is highly significant. Measured thermal conductivity of the composite was found to be 4.17 Wm−1K−1 at room temperature, which is higher than that of bulk nylon 66 by a factor of 16.7. The morphology and crystallinity of the composite were examined using scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. The enhancement of thermal conductivity was attributed to an increase in crystallinity of the nanofibers, which occurred during the electrospinning and subsequent hot pressing, and to the high thermal conductivity of the deposited silver films. The contribution of each fabrication process to the increase in thermal conductivity was investigated by measuring the thermal conductivity values after each fabrication process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrospun Nanofibers II: Theory and Its Applications)
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