Mechanical Properties of Dual-Electrospun Polymeric Composites

Student: Kaitlyn Whipple

Supervisors: Matthew Ali, Prof. Patrick T. Mather

Supported by STEM Scholars Program and National Science Foundation (NSF)

Polymer composites combine two or more polymers in a single material, that can achieve physical properties which are intermediate to those of the two individual components. Very recently, a new approach has been introduced on the preparation of polymer blended composites using dual-jet electrospinning, followed by hot compaction in a press.^* Dual-electrospun blends of poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) composites demonstrated exceptionally high tensile strength and strain-to-failure (yield strength approaching 100 MPa and 40% strain-to-failure). To investigate potential toughening of PLA, the present work examined dual-electrospinning of PLA with the thermoplastic elastomer, Pellethane 5863-80A^®. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to analyze the morphology and crystallinity of both electrospun composites, respectively. We observed a strong positive relationship between increased pressure, crystallinity, and tensile strength in the PCL-PLA composites. The dependence of thermoplastic elastomer incorporation on mechanical properties – particularly toughness – will be reported for comparison.

^*Tumbic, J., Romo-Uribe, A., Boden, M., & Mather, P. T. (2016). Hot-compacted interwoven webs of biodegradable polymers. Polymer, 101, 127-138. doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2016.08.057