Non-woven fabric of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) nanofibers fabricated by electrospinning

We have succeeded in fabricating non-woven fabric of a typical thermo-responsive polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) with a low critical solution temperature (LCST) in water at 32 °C, by the electrospinning, a simple and facile method which enables to form a mat of nanofibers directly deposited on the grounded target. The PNIPAM nanofibers electrospun at concentration and applied voltage of 15 wt% and 20 kV, respectively, had an average diameter of 165 nm. The moisture sorption isotherms of the PNIPAM nanofibers belonged to the type II of IUPAC classification, in which the interaction between polymer and water molecule was stronger than that between water molecules.