Our recent study demonstrates that poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and methacrylIsobutyl POSS (m-iBuPOSS) blends can form electrospun fibers with POSS content up to 50 wt%.  Comparative morphological study performed on spin-coated films shows the surface segregation of m-iBuPOSS and therefore the formation of a dewetted layer on the top of PCL matrix.  The surface segregation of m-iBuPOSS complicated with fast solvent evaporation during electrospinning leads to nanoscale features on rough fiber surface.  It also significantly increases the contact angle from ~112� for neat PCL fibers to ~ 150� for composite fibers, while the fiber diameter distributions for all samples fall into same range.  The X-ray diffraction patterns suggest that the dispersion of m-iBuPOSS is at nano/micro-level instead of molecular level for all samples with PCL/m-iBuPOSS ratios ranging from 90/10 to 50/50 by wt%.  These results warrant further study to limit the aggregation/crystallization of m-iBuPOSS by decreasing the filler content in composite fibers.

Characterization of electrospun poly(epsilon-caprolactone) fibers reinforced with methacrylIsobutyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes

244th National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.