Electrospinning of PAN nanofibers incorporating SBA-15-type ordered mesoporous silica particles

• Composite electrospun nanofibers made of PAN filled with up to 27 wt.% of SBA-15.
• Diameter of composite nanofibers depend of applied tension and SBA-15 loading rate.
• Rate of accessible mesopores within nanofibers is more than 50%.

The influence of rod-like SBA-15 type ordered mesoporous silica particles, as additives, on the morphology and textural parameters of electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers has been studied. PAN charged-webs are prepared by electrospinning of a dispersion of SBA-15 particles in a solution of PAN in DMF. The effect of the applied voltage on the morphology of produced webs has been also investigated. Collected results demonstrate that when electrospinning pristine or charged PAN, the higher the voltage applied, the coarser the fiber is. As a result, sub-micron fibers of PAN charged with SBA-15 particles were obtained. An increase, to some extent, of the specific surface area and pore volume of charged fibers compared to that of pristine electrospun PAN fibers has been also observed. Thermogravimetric analyses reveal that more than 78% of SBA-15 particles are found in the dry fibers. SBA-15 loading rates of 14.3, 15.6 and 27.6 wt.% were achieved. Calculations done to estimate the ratio of accessible pore of SBA-15 particles incorporated within the produced fibers show that more than 50% of accessible pores can be obtained. However, there is a saturated capacity of SBA-15 particles distribution on the surface of the nanofibers beyond 15.6 wt.% loading of SBA-15.This suggests that the ratio of accessible pores within the charged fibers is also limited.

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