Characterization of poly (vinyl alcohol) nanofiber mats cross-linked with glutaraldehyde

Nanofiber mats formed in electrospinning process have many advantages, such as extensive application prospects in the thermal insulation, filtration, water protection and so on. In this study, poly (vinyl alcohol) nanofiber mats prepared by electrospinning were chemically cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. The poly (vinyl alcohol)/ glutaraldehyde nanofiber mats were characterized by water durability test, mechanical, differential scanning calorimeter, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction, respectively. Water durability test showed that cross-linked with glutaraldehyde results in improvement in water stability. Differential scanning calorimeter and thermogravimetric analysis showed that cross-linking improved the thermal stability. X-ray diffraction patterns suggest a decrease in the degree of crystallinity.