Silsesquioxane-Doped Electrospun Nanofibrillar Membranes for Separation Systems

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) membranes are versatile but have limitations in tunable properties.
• Electrospinning offers a method for creating nanofibrillar structures, but further property enhancement is desirable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of cage siloxanes (CS) as functional additives in PLA-based nanofibrillar membranes.
• To explore the impact of CS structure, chemistry, and electrospinning parameters on membrane properties.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of PLA-based nanofibrillar membranes using electrospinning with a spinning wire electrode setup.
• Incorporation of various cage siloxanes (polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes and spherosilicate derivatives) as additives.
• Characterization of membrane morphology (SEM) and physicochemical properties (thermogravimetry, DSC, contact angle, air flow analysis).

Main Results:

• Organosilicon additives (CS) successfully modified PLA membrane properties.
• Smaller nanofiber diameters were achieved, leading to increased membrane porosity.
• Solvent-assisted electrospinning ensured homogeneous mixing of PLA and CS additives, with no phase separation observed via SEM.
• Enhanced tuneability of membrane properties was demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• Cage siloxanes are effective functional additives for electrospun PLA membranes.
• The developed membranes exhibit improved porosity and can be utilized as advanced filter materials.
• The study highlights the potential of CS in tailoring nanofiber membrane performance for specific applications.