Electrospun nanofibers : an alternative sorbent material for solid phase extraction

The work described in the thesis seeks to lay a foundation for a better understanding of the use of electrospun nanofibers as a sorbent material. Three miniaturised electrospun nanofiber based solid phase extraction devices were fabricated. For the first two, 10 mg of electrospun polystyrene fibers were used as a sorbent bed for a micro column SPE device (8 mm bed height in a 200 μl pipette tip) and a disk (I) SPE device (5 mm 1 mm sorbent bed in a 1000 μl SPE barrel). While for the third, 4.6 mg of electrospun nylon nanofibers were used as a sorbent bed for a disk (II) SPE device, (sorbent bed consisting of 5 5 mm 350 μm stacked disks in a 500 μl SPE barrel). Corticosteroids were employed as model analytes for performance evaluation of the fabricated SPE devices. Quantitative recoveries (45.5-124.29 percent) were achieved for all SPE devices at a loading volume of 100 μl and analyte concentration of 500 ng ml-1. Three mathematical models; the Boltzmann, Weibull five parameter and the Sigmoid three parameter were employed to describe the break through profiles of each of the sorbent beds. The micro column SPE device exhibited a breakthrough volume of 1400 μl, and theoretical plates (7.98-9.1) while disk (I) SPE device exhibited 400-500 μl and 1.39-2.82 respectively. Disk (II) SPE device exhibited a breakthrough volume of 200 μl and theoretical plates 0.38-1.15. It was proposed that the formats of future electrospun nanofiber sorbent based SPE devices will be guided by mechanical strength of the polymer. The study classified electrospun polymer fibers into two as polystyrene type (relatively low mechanical strength) and nylon type (relatively high mechanical strength)

Electrospun carbon nanofibers from polyacrylonitrile blended with activated or graphitized carbonaceous materials for improving anodic bioelectrocatalysis.

The electrospun carbon nanofibers obtained from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and PAN blends with either activated carbon (PAN-AC) or graphite (PAN-GR) were tested as anodes using Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Extensive physico-chemical and electrochemical characterization confirmed their formation, their fibrous and porous nature, and their suitability as electrodes. N(2) adsorption measurements revealed high specific surface area (229.8, 415.8 and 485.2m(2) g(-1)) and porosity (0.142, 0.202 and 0.239cm(3)g(-1)) for PAN, PAN-AC and PAN-GR, respectively. The chronoamperometric measurements showed a considerable decrease in start-up time and more than a 10-fold increase in the generation of current with these electrodes (115, 139 and 155μAcm(-2) for PAN, PAN-AC and PAN-GR, respectively) compared to the graphite electrode (11.5μAcm(-2)). These results indicate that the bioelectrocatalysis benefits from the blending of PAN with activated or graphitized carbonaceous materials, presumably due to the increased specific surface area, total pore volume and modification of the carbon microstructure

Superhydrophobic polymeric coatings produced by rapid expansion of supercritical solutions combined with electrostatic depostion (RESS-ED)

In this paper we present a method to produce superhydrophobic polymeric coatings by combining the rapid expansion of supercritical solutions (RESS) with electrostatic deposition (ED). A copolymer, poly(vinyl acetate)-poly(vinyl pivalate) was dissolved in a mixture of supercritical carbon dioxide and acetone and sprayed through a nozzle with an applied voltage of 8 kV onto a surface placed on a earthed collector. Spray distance and polymer concentration were altered to find the most suitable spraying conditions. Superhydrophobic surfaces were produced when spraying both with and without a voltage, although the water repellent surfaces could be produced at a larger variety of processing parameters using the RESS-ED technique. The greatest improvement of using the RESS-ED process was that larger and thinner coatings were produced with a more even surface coverage of the created polymer particles compared to spraying without the applied voltage.QC 20150205</p

Superhydrophobic polymeric coatings produced by rapid expansion of supercritical solutions combined with electrostatic depostion (RESS-ED)

In this paper we present a method to produce superhydrophobic polymeric coatings by combining the rapid expansion of supercritical solutions (RESS) with electrostatic deposition (ED). A copolymer, poly(vinyl acetate)-poly(vinyl pivalate) was dissolved in a mixture of supercritical carbon dioxide and acetone and sprayed through a nozzle with an applied voltage of 8 kV onto a surface placed on a earthed collector. Spray distance and polymer concentration were altered to find the most suitable spraying conditions. Superhydrophobic surfaces were produced when spraying both with and without a voltage, although the water repellent surfaces could be produced at a larger variety of processing parameters using the RESS-ED technique. The greatest improvement of using the RESS-ED process was that larger and thinner coatings were produced with a more even surface coverage of the created polymer particles compared to spraying without the applied voltage.QC 20150205</p