在靜電紡絲的過程中引入相分離法產生多孔纖維,可以進一步提升其比表面積並增加應用性。然而,受限於溶劑的選擇,高極性的高分子只能紡出緻密的中型孔洞而無法形成巨孔纖維,不過仍有許多應用需要用到高極性材料製成的巨孔纖維,例如空氣懸浮微粒的吸附。為了同時提升極性並產生巨孔纖維,本研究使用包含高、低極性單元的4-乙烯基吡啶-苯乙烯共聚物 (S4VP) 作為材料,並以氯苯 (CB) 與二甲基亞碸 (DMSO) 混和為共溶劑探討其可電紡性與形貌變化。我們發現改變CB/DMSO的比例會使相分離由不同機制主導,包括呼吸圖法 (breath figure)、非溶劑誘導與水蒸氣誘導相分離法,並產生豐富的形貌,例如內外相連的巨孔 (macroporous)、緻密中型孔洞 (mesoporous) 與中空纖維等。為了再提高極性,我們將P4VP混摻到S4VP/CB/DMSO中,不過孔洞形貌也會因此被改變,並且在P4VP量少的時候可以適度增加孔洞尺寸;P4VP較多則會使孔洞合併變成巨大的溝槽或樹洞狀。最後,我們將S4VP/P4VP混摻的巨孔纖維應用於空氣懸浮微粒的吸附。纖維因為同時達到高極性以及巨孔的條件,相較於其他低極性與表面平滑的纖維,吸附速率與三小時內的吸附量有顯著的上升。
Incorporating phase separation methods into electrospinning can create porous fibers, which further enhances the specific surface area and expand the applicability of fibers. However, to date, macroporous fibers can only be formed with low-polarity polymers. High-polarity polymers could only form fibers with internal mesopores due to the limitation of solvent choice, but macroporous fibers made of high-polarity materials are still required in various applications, for example, the adsorption of aerosol particles. To increase the polarity and generate macropores at the same time, a random copolymer of hydrophilic and hydrophobic units, poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-styrene) (S4VP) was used in this study, with chlorobenzene (CB) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) mixed as the co-solvent. The electrospinnability and morphology were investigated. It was found that tuning the CB/DMSO ratio could switch the dominant phase separation mechanism between breath figure, nonsolvent-induced, and vapor-induced methods, which resulted in different morphologies, including macroporous, mesoporous, and hollow fibers. To further enhance the hydrophilicity of the material, poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) was blended into S4VP/CB/DMSO, which also changed the fiber morphology. With the addition of a small amount of P4VP, the pore size increased; while with more P4VP, the pore turned into giant grooves or tree-hole-like pores. Finally, S4VP/P4VP macroporous fibers were applied to the adsorption of aerosol particles. With both macropores and higher hydrophilicity, the adsorption rate and the adsorption capacity within 3 hours exceeded other counterparts with lower hydrophilicity or smooth surface.