Background:
The electrospining of Poly (styrene)/poly(ethylene glycol) blend and prepared
electrospun Poly (styrene)/poly(ethylene glycol) are the composite fibers. The Core-shell
structured PS-PEG fibers were founded by polarized optical microscope after electrospinning,
meanwhile, the mechanism of structure was also discussed.
Methods:
The Electro-spinning is a facile method to fabricate polymer fibers. The single-step process
to fabricate poly (styrene)(PS)/poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG) polymer nano-fiber meshes had been
investigated, respectively. The morphology and crystallization behavior of the blend were observed
by polarized optical microscopy.
Results:
The clear phase separation of PEG encapsulating on the PS fiber surface, and the nano-fiber
composed of a core-shell structure, furthermore, the core of PS with the shell of PEG were observed,
respectively. To increase the compatibility of the PS/PEG blend, Poly (styrene)(PS)-b-poly(ethylene
glycol)(PEG), synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was introduced. The
addition of the PS-b-PEG block copolymer has no negative effect on the electro-spinning process.
Conclusion:
When the Block copolymer of PS-b-PEG as a compatibilizer was added into the
PS/PEG blend, the homogeneous electrospun fibers without phase separation was obtained. The effect
of PS-b-PEG block copolymer on electrospinning of PS/PEG blend was analyzed by evaluating
the morphology and crystallization behavior of the electrospun fibers. Under polarized optical microscopy
analyses suggest that, it can be found that the phase separation between PS and PEG disappears
due to the introduction of the compatibilizer. Meanwhile, the core-shell structure of PEG/PS
composite fiber was destroyed and PEG evenly dispersed in PS/PEG blend.
Investigation of the effects of thermal, oxidative and irradiation treatments on the behaviour of poly-ethylene glycol as a phase change material in thermal energy storage systems