Preparation of PVDF/SiO₂ Composite Nanofiber Membrane Using Electrospinning for Polymer Electrolyte Analysis

M. Sethupathy, V. Sethuraman, P. Manisankar

Department of Industrial Chemistry, School of Chemical Sciences, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, India..

DOI: 10.4236/snl.2013.32007                

Abstract

  

Superhydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) PVDF-SiO₂ composite membranes with different % of SiO₂ contents were prepared by electrospinning. The surface morphologies of the membranes are characterized by using scanning electron microscopy. The nanofibers in the membranes were stacked in layers to produce fully interconnected pores that resulted in high porosity. The incorporation of SiO₂ into the nanofiber membrane improved the ionic conductivity from 0.2428 × 10^-4Scm^-1 to 7.731 × 10^-4Scm^-1 at room temperature. The surface roughness of the membranes increased with increasing the SiO₂ content, while the average diameter of nanofibers was rarely affected. Superhydrophobic PVDF membrane with a contact angle larger than 136° was prepared by the electrospinning of the SiO₂ functionalized PVDF. The surface composition of the membranes is analyzed by using FTIR and the contact angles and water drops on the surface of the membrane are measured. The contact angle experimental results of PVDF-SiO₂ composite membranes showed an improvement of hydrophobicity with % of nano SiO₂.

Keywords

Electrospinning Poly(vinylidene fluoride); Silica Nanoparticle; Nanofiber Membrane; Superhydrophobicity

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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