Electrospinning of polyvinylidenfluoride based fibers

Electrospinning is one of the rapidly developing methods for obtaining fibers of very small thickness. There is a wide-scale use of nanofibers, and it has a great potential in many fields, such as in medicine, biology, chemistry, electronics, environmental protection, energy-harvesting, and other. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) appears to be a promising material for fiber production for its excellent mechanical and chemical properties. It is a chemically inert substance, very resistant to thermal stress. The aim of this bachelor thesis is the preparation of PVDF fibers by electrospinning and the study of the influence of three different surfactants on the spinnability of PVDF, on the arrangement and the shape of fibers which are formed during electrospinning. The effect of surfactant concentration (1 wt%; 0.5 wt%; 0.25 wt%) on the spinning process at electrical voltages of 25 kV and 50 kV was studied. The theoretical part describes the properties and the division of polymers and looks at polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a source material in more detail. Furthermore, the electrospinning method is described, including process conditions and external parameters influencing the process of obtaining fibers. The experimental part describes the preparation of samples by electrospinning and their characterization. Fiber thickness, its appearance, arrangement, and the occurrence of defects when using individual surfactants were evaluated. It was found that the used ionic surfactants affect the thickness of the fibers and their morphology. Homogeneous fibers with a predominant arrangement in one direction, without defects, were obtained