Hybrid electrospun nanofibrous membranes: Influence of layer arrangement and composition ratio on moisture management behavior

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the fabrication of bi-constituent nanofibrous membranes and investigation of their moisture management behavior in various environmental conditions. In doing so, polyurethane with a hydrophobic nature and superior mechanical behavior and poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) (PAMPS) with a hydrophilic nature were utilized. Different hybrid electrospun nanofibrous membranes were aligned based on different layer arrangements and composition ratios. Then, the impacts of the solid fraction of polymers, sequence of stacking, and environmental conditions on water vapor permeability, contact angle, and acidic water permeation were measured and discussed. Tracing the water vapor permeability behavior in samples was carried out through measuring the amount of permeation hourly and proposing some regression models. Bi-modal nanofibrous membranes were successfully fabricated using PAMPS and polyurethane with an average fiber diameter of 543.5 and 216.7 nm, respectively. As the volume fraction of PAMPS increased, the porosities of the samples remained unchanged, the number of pores increased, and the pore size decreased (the average pore diameter was 299.97 nm for the PAMPS sample and 492.35 nm for the polyurethane sample). Despite the better water vapor permeability of the polyurethane membranes than that of the PAMPS membranes, in the first 12 h of the water vapor permeability test, the trend was completely reverse. The results also revealed that in the relative humidity of 55%, the polyurethane layer had the highest water vapor permeability among all samples. The results of the acidic water permeation and contact angle tests showed that the hybrid electrospun nanofibrous membranes exhibit better wicking and wetting properties.