The study delves into the kinetics of non-isothermal crystallization of Poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) and MgO-incorporated PCL nanofibers with varying cooling rates. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC-3) was used to acquire crystallization information and investigate the kinetics behavior of the two types of nanofibers under different cooling rates ranging from 0.5–5 K/min. The results show that the crystallization rate decreases at higher crystallization temperatures. Furthermore, the parameters of non-isothermal crystallization kinetics were investigated via several mathematical models, including Jeziorny and Mo’s models. Mo’s approach was suitable to describe the nanofibers’ overall non-isothermal crystallization process. In addition, the Kissinger and Friedman methods were used to calculate the activation energy of bulk-PCL, PCL, and MgO-PCL nanofibers. The result showed that the activation energy of bulk-PCL was comparatively lower than that of nanofibers. The investigation of the kinetics of crystallization plays a crucial role in optimizing manufacturing processes and enhancing the overall performance of nanofibers.
In this work, we demonstrate the non‐synthetic surface modification of a co‐extruded multilayer poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL) film with gas barrier properties through electrospinning of polystyrene (PS)/multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) nanofibers. As produced by forced assembly layer multiplying co‐extrusion, the heterogeneous nucleating crystallization of PCL was induced using the glassy confinement of the amorphous PMMA thus creating in‐plane lamellae crystallization, which is impermeable to most gas molecules. To complement these intrinsic gas barrier properties of the multilayer film, electrospun PS/MWNT nanofibers were deposited onto the surface of the PMMA/PCL film, which increased the surface roughness and resulted in superhydrophobic behavior (water contact angles>150°). Furthermore, the inclusion of the MWNT in the matrix caused an increasing antibacterial efficacy, which was determined to reach 97% inactivation against gram‐positive bacteria
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10038344
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Macromolecular Symposia
- Volume:
- 374
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1022-1360
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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