Optimum sol viscosity for stable electrospinning of silica nanofibres

Silica nanofibres have, due to their excellent properties, promising characteristics for multiple applications such as filtration, composites, catalysis, etc. Silica nanofibres can be obtained by combining electrospinning and the sol–gel process. To produce silica nanofibres most of the time organic solutions are applied containing a carrying polymer, which is afterwards removed by a thermal treatment to form pure ceramic nanofibres. Although electrospinning of the pure silica precursors without carrying polymer is preferred, the parameters influencing the stability of the electrospinning process are however largely unknown. In addition, this knowledge is essential for potential upscaling of the process. In this study, the optimum viscosity to electrospin in a stable manner is determined and the way to obtain this viscosity is evaluated. Sols with a viscosity between 120 and 200 mPa.s could be electrospun in a stable way, resulting in uniform and beadless nanofibres. Furthermore, this viscosity region corresponded with nanofibres having the lowest mean nanofibre diameters. Electrospinning with diluted sols was possible as well, but electrospinning of the fresh sols was more stable. These results illustrate the importance of the viscosity and degree of crosslinking of the sol for the stable electrospinning of silica nanofibres and demonstrate that upscaling of the electrospinning process of silica nanofibres is feasibl

The influence of tetraethoxysilane sol preparation on the electrospinning of silica nanofibers

The critical parameters determining the electrospinning of silica nanofibers starting from tetraethoxysilane sols are reported. By controlling the reaction conditions, the rheological properties of the sol allowed for electrospinning without needing the addition of an organic polymer. This allows the polymer removal step, which is deleterious to the fibers and an economic and ecological inconvenience, to be skipped. The effects on the electrospinning process of the viscosity of the sol, the concentration of ethanol, the degree of crosslinking and the size of the colloidal species were studied in depth with ATR-FTIR, Si-29 NMR, H-1 NMR and DLS. Moreover, to separate the contributions of the different parameters three different set-ups for sol preparation were used. An optimum amount of 9 mol L-1 ethanol for electrospinning was determined. In addition, the optimum degree of crosslinking and size of colloidal particles, approximately 3.5-7 nm, were obtained for stable electrospinning and for producing uniform, beadless nanofibers that were stable in time. The optimum viscosity range is in between 100 and 200 mPa s, which is in line with previous work. Using these optimum conditions, continuous electrospinning was carried out for 3 h, resulting in large flexible silica nanofibrous membranes

Dye modification of nanofibrous silicon oxide membranes for colorimetric HCl and NH3 sensing

Colorimetric sensors for monitoring and visual reporting of acidic environments both in water and air are highly valuable in various fields, such as safety and technical textiles. Until now sol-gel-based colorimetric sensors are usually nonflexible bulk glass or thin-film sensors. Large-area, flexible sensors usable in strong acidic environments are not available. Therefore, in this study organically modified silicon oxide nanofibrous membranes are produced by combining electrospinning and sol-gel technology. Two pH-indicator dyes are immobilized in the nanofibrous membranes: methyl yellow via doping, methyl red via both doping, and covalent bonding. This resulted in sensor materials with a fast response time and high sensitivity for pH-change in water. The covalent bond between dye and the sol-gel network showed to be essential to obtain a reusable pH-sensor in aqueous environment. Also a high sensitivity is obtained for sensing of HCl and NH3 vapors, including a memory function allowing visual read-out up to 20 min after exposure. These fast and reversible, large-area flexible nanofibrous colorimetric sensors are highly interesting for use in multiple applications such as protective clothing and equipment. Moreover, the sensitivity to biogenic amines is demonstrated, offering potential for control and monitoring of food quality

Silica nanofibrous membranes for the separation of heterogeneous azeotropes

Nanofibrous materials produced through electrospinning are characterized by a high porosity, large specific surface area, and high pore interconnectivity and, therefore, show potential for, e.g., separation and filtration. The development of more inert nanofibers with higher thermal and chemical resistance extends the application field to high-end purification. Silica nanofibrous membranes produced by direct electrospinning of a sol-gel solution without a sacrificing carrier, starting from tetraethoxysilane, meet these challenging requirements. After electrospinning the membrane is highly hydrophobic. Storage under dry conditions preserves this property. Oppositely, a superhydrophilic membrane is obtained by storage under high humidity (month scale). This switch is caused by the reaction of ethoxy groups, present due to incomplete hydrolysis of the precursor, with moisture in the air, resulting in an increased amount of silanol groups. This transition can be accelerated to hour scale by applying a heat treatment, with the additional increase in cross-linking density for temperatures above 400 degrees C, enabling applications that make use of hydrophobic and hydrophilic membranes by tuning the functionalization. It is showcased that upon designing the water repellent or absorbing nature of the silica material, fast gravity-driven membrane separation of heterogeneous azeotropes can be achieved