Fabrication and characterization of co-electrospun cellulose/poly (4-methyl-1-pentene) nanofibers with improved tensile properties

Abstract

In this study, cellulose acetate and poly (4-methyl-1-pentene) (CA/PMP) nanofibers were co-electrospun with a blending ratio of 1:1 and followed by deacetylation treatment to produce cellulose/PMP nanofibers. The physical morphology of nanofibers was characterized by SEM which reveals even and bead-less morphology of nanofibers with an average diameter of 650 nm. FTIR study confirmed the removal of acetyl groups after deacetylation, and x-ray diffraction analysis was performed to analyze the crystalline nature of nanofibers. The calculated crystallinity and crystal size of CA/PMP nanofibers are 82% and 34 Å. The tensile strength study revealed that the combination of both CA and PMP nanofibers with the blending ratio of 1:1 has improved the tensile strength of composite nanofibers. Further, the deacetylation process has also increased the tensile strength. The obtained tensile strength and Young’s modulus are 6.9 MPa and 195 MPa for cellulose/PMP nanofibers which could be a value addition in cellulose-based membranes.

Keywords

• CA
• cellulose nanofibers
• tensile strength
• co-electrospinning