Mechanical performance of aligned electrospun polyimide nanofiber belt at high temperature

• Aligned PI nanofiber belts were fabricated by electrospinning.
• High 5% decomposition temperature of above 550 °C.
• Excellent mechanical properties.
• Excellent thermal mechanical properties.

High mechanical performance materials at high temperature are highly desired for the materials used in high temperature industries. This study reports the aligned electrospun polyimide nanofiber belt (A-PI-NFB) fabricated from the electrospinning followed with imidization. The A-PI-NFB showed increased mechanical and thermal mechanical properties as increasing the imidization temperature. At room temperature, the A-PI-NFB imidized at 450 °C (A-PI-NFB-450) had the highest tensile strength (689 MPa) and E modulus (13.2 GPa). The thermomechanical analysis (TMA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that A-PI-NFB-450 possessed 80% tensile strength and 90% modulus when heated at 300 and 350 °C in N2, respectively. These excellent properties made A-PI-NFB good candidates for use in high temperature filtration, protective clothes etc.

Aligned polyimide nanofiber belts (A-PI-NFB) were prepared by electrospinning and imidization of polyamic acid. The PI nanofiber belt exhibited excellent thermal stability, outstanding mechanical and thermal mechanical properties.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide