Core - Sheath nanofibers from combined atom transfer radical polymerization and electrospinning

Abstract

A study was conducted to demonstrate the effect of electrospinning on the dormant alkyl halide species. The study prepared core-sheath nanofibers by electrospinning and polystyrene synthesis. The study used α-methylbenzyl bromide (MBB) to start atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene. The study found that the surface Br concentration of PSn-c nanofibers is higher than PS film and PSn-a nanofibers. The study also found that the alkyl bormide groups are distributed on the surface and in the matrix of the fibers. The study observed that PS nanofibers with surface-enriched ATRP initiator sites can be obtained by proper selection of electrospinning conditions. The study also observed that the sheath thickness of the nanofibers of the nanotubes can be controlled by controlling the polymerization time.