Atomic Force Microscopy Visualization of Hard Segment Alignment in Stretched Polyurethane Nanofibers Prepared by Electrospinning

Overview

Journal Sci Technol Adv Mater

Specialty Biomedical Engineering

Date 2016 Nov 24

PMID 27877650

Authors

Hiroaki Sakamoto

Hitoshi Asakawa

Takeshi Fukuma

Satoshi Fujita

Shin-Ichiro Suye

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Molecular-level orientation within nanofibers has been attracting attention as a tool for controlling and designing highly functional nanofibers. In this study, we used atomic force microscopy to visualize the phase separation between soft and hard segments on a polyurethane (PU) nanofiber surface prepared by electrospinning. Furthermore, the stretched nanofibers prepared with a high-speed rotating collector were found to have a different phase distribution in the phase-separated structure, with the hard segment domains aligned to the fiber axis. In contrast, unstretched PU nanofibers prepared without rotation were observed to have nonuniformly distributed segments. These results indicate that the application of an intense elongation force along the nanofiber axis with a rotating mandrel collector changed the distribution of segment alignments.

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