Design Guidance for Electrospun Nylon 6 Nanofiber Morphology through Design of Experiment and Statistical Analysis Method and Mechanical Properties Characterization

• Author / Creator

  Pan, Feng

• Electrospinning is an efficient and versatile technique to fabricate polymer nanofibers. In this study, ultrafine Nylon 6 nanofibers were successfully fabricated by the electrospinning technique. The electrospinning voltage, solution concentration and flow rate are three parameters that have been reported to have effects on nanofiber morphology and will be further investigated in this study. The design of experiment and statistical analysis methods were successfully applied to investigate the effects of electrospinning parameters on nanofiber diameters and uniformity, and whether the effects are linear or nonlinear. In addition, interaction effects between the parameters were studied. The mechanical properties of fiber strips, i.e., elongation at break, elongation at maximum stress, tensile strength and elastic modulus, were analyzed. Moreover, the relationship between the mechanical properties and the Nylon 6 solution concentration was examined. The significant findings from this study are: (1) solution concentration, electrospinning voltage, flow rate all have significant effects on Nylon 6 fiber diameter and uniformity; (2) the solution concentration has the most significant effect on fiber diameter and the effect is nonlinear; (3) the average fiber diameter increases with increasing solution concentration and the decrease of both electrospinning voltage and flow rate; (4) the fiber diameter is most consistent when both electrospinning voltage and flow rate are chosen at the highest possible levels for a certain fixed solution concentration; and (5) tensile strength and elongation at break of fiber strips increase with increasing Nylon 6 solution concentration.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Nylon 6
  • Electrospinning

• Graduation date

  Fall 2014

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3599Z92H

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.