Electrospinning of laser dye Rhodamine B-doped poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofibers

Abstract

The electrospinning of Rhodamine B (RhB) -doped poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is presented as a promising technique for processing photo luminescent nanofibers. Nanofibers with concentrations of RhB in PMMA between 0.05 wt% and 2.0 wt% were studied. The FTIR spectrum, fiber morphology, thermal properties and optical properties of the nanofibers were investigated. The smooth, bead- free and nonporous nanofibers were obtained. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results revealed that the Tg increased with the increasing of Rh B content up to a 0.5 wt% and beyond that decreased. The laser induced fluorescence (LIF) technique was used to study the fluorescence properties of the nanofibers. The maximum fluorescence emission was observed at a concentration of RhB of c = 0.2 wt%.