Electrospinning of meta-aramid fiber and its properties

The N,N-dimethylacetamide(DMAc) was used as solvent,to which LiCl and CaCl2 were added respectively to prepare two solvent systems,and the dissolving and electrospinning properties of meta-aramid in these two solvent systems were investigated.Meta-aramid fiber had a limited swelling in DMAc.However,addition of chlorinated salt facilitated its fast dissolution.The dissolved quantity,dissolving time and viscosity of the solution were governed by the salt types and mass concentration.The nanofiber was successfully prepared with a diameter in a range from 100 to 500 nm by high pressure electrospinning.The mean diameter of nanofiber increased as the mass concentrations of spinning solution and salt increased.The uniformity of nanofiber(I) obtained from LiCl/DMAc solvent system improved gradually with the increase of viscosity of the solution,and its morphology was superior to that of nanofiber(II) obtained from CaCl2/DMAc solvent system.However,II outperformed I with respect to thermal properties.And the mechanical property of the nanofiber mat electrospun in LiCl/DMAc system was the best when the mass concentration of the solution was 11%.