The influence of electrospinning parameters on the morphology and diameter of poly(vinyledene fluoride) nanofibers- effect of sodium chloride

Electrospinning was used to produce PVDF nonwoven fiber mats under varying parameters of polymer concentration, applied voltage, salt content, and spinning distance. The results indicated that both the polymer and salt concentration had a noteworthy influence on both the morphology and diameter of the nanofibers. Improved fiber morphology and increased PVDF fiber diameter were observed as the PVDF concentration was increased. Adding different concentrations of NaCl to the PVDF polymer solution resulted in improved electrospinnability of PVDF resulting in better morphology and with increasing salt content, smaller fiber diameter. In particular increasing the salt content led to well defined fibers in otherwise nonfiber-producing formulations. The applied voltage and spinning distance were also seen to have an influence on the properties of the PVDF nanofibers. Nanofibers without beads were formed under the improved conditions of the different parameters studied.