Block copolymer compatibilization driven frustrated crystallization in electrospun nanofibers of polystyrene/poly(ethylene oxide) blends.

ABSTRACT: The confined crystallization behaviour of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) has been studied in electrospun nanofibers of the phase-separated blends of polystyrene (PS) and PEO compatibilized with polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) block copolymer. The PS was present as the majority component such that the electrospun nanofibers consisted of PEO domains dispersed in the PS matrix. The phase separation in the blend occurred under the radial constraint of the nanofibers which led to the formation of small-sized fibrillar PEO domains. The use of block copolymer compatibilizer resulted in a noticeable decrease in the PEO domain size in the as-spun nanofibers. Moreover, the decrease in the domain size and domain connectivity was more substantial in the thermally annealed b

SUBMITTER: Samanta P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9080552 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature