Effect of Different Coagulation Baths as Collector on Morphology of Gas-jetlElectrospun Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Nanofibres

POly(ethYlene terephthalate) (PET) nanofibres were prepared by gas-jeVelectrospinning of its solution of 15 wt% concentration in the mixture of phenol and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (SO/50, w/w). The morphologies of gas-jeVelectrospun fibres collected on a clean stainless steel plate and three different coagulation baths were observed under a scanning electron microscope. These coagulants were water, ethanol and the mixture of water and ethanol : SO/50 (v/v) . Preliminary study on the effect of different coagulation baths as collector on the morphology of gas-jeVelectrospun P ET nanofibres was carried out. In particular, on the surface of the fibres obtained from the water coagulation bath, many short branches appeared. The beaded fibres were evident in the SEM image of the PET nanofibres collected in an ethanol bath. Smooth fibres without bead can be obtained using mixture of water and ethanol : SO/50 (v/v) as the coagulation bath. The average diameters of fibres collected in water, ethanol and water/ethanol bath , were 87, 105 and 84 nm, respectively. Compared with the average diameter (90 nm) of fibres collected on a metal plate , the diameter of fibres collected in water and water/ethanol coagulation baths decreased, while the diameter of fibres collected in ethanol bath increased. Among three coaqulants, the morphology and the average diameter of PET nanofibres collected in the mixture of water and ethanol was best and thinnest, respectively.