Electrospinning of P3HT-PEO-CdS fibers by solution method and their properties

Effects of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Molecular Weight and the Aging of Spinning Solution on the Electrospun Fiber Properties

“…It has been shown earlier that self-assembly and gelation of P3HT in solution in the presence of another component are possible, for example, for P3HT and di-Fmoc-l-lysine ( a low molecular weight gelator) system in chloroform, provided P3HT and the other component are not interacting. 25,26,41 Additionally, aging the solutions for 24 hours reduced the PL intensity (counts), as shown in Figure S13. Such PL quenching was significant for the aged solutions of 58 kDa and 83 kDa, likely caused by interchain aggregation.…”

“…Further, in comparison to the thin film, the aggregation peaks for the fibers red-shifted as high as 31 nm (83 kDa_24h), higher than that typically reported in the literature. 26,54 The high molecular weight (83 kDa) and regioregularity (96.2%) of the P3HT sample used in this study have facilitated the self-assembly process in solution during aging. During electrospinning, the self-assembled chains may remain unchanged, and only the amorphous segments become extended because of the applied electric field, a scenario most likely the case for 83 kDa_24h.…”

“…5,20,21,24,25 The usage of high molecular weight of PEO is common, which has shown to lead to uniform, beadfree fibers. 20,22,[24][25][26] Interestingly, few studies have also reported the electrospinning of P3HT without adding any flexible polymers. 23,[27][28][29] Although high P3HT concentration led to gelation, electrospun fibers were still obtained.…”

Effects of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Molecular Weight and the Aging of Spinning Solution on the Electrospun Fiber Properties

“…Furthermore, in comparison to the thin film, the aggregation peaks for the fibers red-shifted as high as 31 nm (83 kDa_24 h), higher than that typically reported in the literature. 25,53 The high molecular weight (83 kDa) and regioregularity (96.2%) of the P3HT sample used in this study have facilitated the self-assembly process in solution during aging. During electrospinning, the self-assembled chains may remain unchanged, and only the amorphous segments become extended because of the applied electric field, a scenario most likely the case for 83 kDa_24 h. It is also possible that some of the self-assembled chains can become unfolded and extended during electrospinning.…”

“…As a result, CPs usually do not reach the sufficient chain entanglements in the solution required to form fibers through the electrospinning process. Different strategies have been used to aid the electrospinning process, such as adding flexible polymers, poly­(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly­(ε-caprolactone), in the spinning solution of P3HT or using a core-shell coaxial electrospinning strategy using poly­(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). ,,,, The usage of high molecular weight of PEO is common, which has shown to lead to uniform, bead-free fibers. ,,− Interestingly, a few studies have also reported the electrospinning of P3HT without adding any flexible polymers. ,− Although high P3HT concentration led to gelation, electrospun fibers were still obtained. , However, the mechanism for the fiber development from the gel state was not elaborated. For commonly studied flexible polymers, the effects of viscosity and entanglement of polymer solutions on the spinning process have been widely investigated .…”