Characterizing the Effect of Adding Boron Nitride Nanotubes on the Mechanical Properties of Electrospun Polymer Nanocomposite Microfibers Mesh

Abstract

Electrospun fibrous meshes have a variety of applications such as filtration, drug delivery, energy storage, and engineered tissues due to their high surface area to mass ratio. Therefore, understanding the mechanical properties of these continuously evolving meshes is critical to expand and improve their performance. In this study, the effect of adding Boron Nitride Nanotube (BNNT) to Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) composite meshes on the mechanical properties of the polymer is studied. Electrospinning is used to fabricate microfiber meshes of PMMA and BNNT-PMMA. The fabricated meshes are tested experimentally with a uniaxial tensile tester. In addition, a theoretical model is introduced to investigate the effect of the number of fibers and the diameter of fiber inside the mesh on Young’s Modulus and Tensile Strength of the PMMA mesh. By adding 0.5% BNNT to the PMMA, Young’s Modulus and Tensile Strength of the PMMA mesh improved by 62.4% and 9.3%, respectively. Furthermore, simulated results show enhanced mesh properties when increasing the number of fibers and the single fiber diameter inside the mesh. The findings of this study help in understanding the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite electrospun meshes which expands and improves its utilization in different applications.