Mechanical Properties of Magnetic-Field-Assisted Electrospun Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) Nanofibers

Abstract

The effect of the magnetic intensity on the morphology, alignment, mechanical properties, and molecular orientation of Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanofibers prepared by magnetic-field-assisted electrospinning was studied. The PVDF nanofibers were characterized by using Scanning Electron Microscope, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Confocal Raman Microscopy. The experimental results show that with the increase of magnetic intensity, the diameters of the nanofibers become smaller and the alignment of nanofibers becomes better. The Raman spectroscopic analysis reveals that the β phase is the main crystal form in magnetic electrospun PVDF nanofibers. Besides, it is found that increasing magnetic intensity increases the molecular orientation of PVDF nanofibers, thus enhancing Young’s modulus of the single nanofiber.