Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Poly(arylene sulfide sulfone) Membrane by Co-electrospinning with Poly(m-xylene adipamide)

The mechanical properties of poly(arylene sulfide sulfone) (PASS) electrospun membrane were significantly enhanced by co-electrospinning with semi-aromatic nylon poly(m-xylene adipamide) (MXD6), another engineering plastic with high thermal stability and good mechanical properties. The tensile strength of PASS membrane increased with increased incorporation of MXD6, and was tripled when 20% MXD6 was incorporated. The mechanism of the mechanical property improvement is the existence of hydrogen bonding interaction between PASS and MXD6 and between adjacent fibers at the intersections. Thermal properties of the PASS/MXD6 membranes were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which showed that the membranes could be stably utilized up to 180 °C without any change in appearance and without decomposition. Contact angle measurements of all the membranes showed hydrophobic character. To demonstrate the potential applications of PASS/MXD6 blend membranes, their oil absorption capacities were evaluated with three oils of different viscosities, which proved that the PASS/MXD6 membranes are better absorbents than commercial non-woven polypropylene fibers. Therefore, PASS/MXD6 fibrous membranes produced by electrospinning have a great potential in practical applications.