Synthesis of vinyl ester resin-carrying PVDF green nanofibers for self-healing applications

Abstract

Self-healing on the engineering applications is smart, decisive research for prolonging the life span of the materials and the innovations have been mounting still smarter. Connecting to advancements in self-healing carriers, in altering the chemical structure by optimizing the brittleness for self-healing performance and introducing the bio-degradability, for the first time TPS was blended to PVDF for the synthesis of nanofibers, as carriers of a vinyl ester (VE) resin (medication), by the coaxial electrospinning technique. TPS was mechanically mixed with PVDF base polymer and optimized the TPS content (10 wt%) based on mechanical performance. The novel nanofibers were characterized via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal, moisture analysis, and a mechanical line with FESEM and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis studied the self-healing. The TPS/PVDF fibers having hydrogen bonding and increased the crystallinity (40.57 → 44.12%) and the diameter (115 → 184 nm) along with the surface roughness of the fibers with increasing the TPS content. Microanalysis presented the flow-out of the VE resin at the scratched parts in the pierced fibers; interestingly, after some time, the etched part was cured automatically by the curing of the spread resin. Mechanical stretching of the nanofibers in the tensile tests up in the plastic region showed a decrement in the elasticity (TPS/PVDF fibers) and an increment in the brittle nature (cured VE resin) with the increase in Young’s modulus at each stretching, clearly elucidating the healing performance.

Comprehensive Characterization of PVDF Nanofibers at Macro- and Nanolevel

“…Nowadays, nanofibers development, production and their properties characterization are of high interest among scientists [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ], health doctors [ 4 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], and even between general public thanks to coronavirus pandemic situation (causing COVID-19 illness) and use of nanofibers in face masks [ 10 , 11 ] to prevent health of each individual. Another great use of fibers can be for energy harvesting or as sensors from fiber mats as the fibers are from piezoelectric material.…”

Self‐Healing Fibrous Membranes

“…In contrast to other microcapsule‐based extrinsic self‐healing materials, the extrinsic SFMs possess an intricate micro‐ or nanostructure, as well as considerable amounts of pores. The outflow of the healing agent often results in the healing part of the fibrous membrane losing its original fibrous morphology (Figure 1j, k) [45] . Thus, another issue associated with extrinsic SFMs is the incorporation of encapsulated healing agents that can restore the cracks of the fibrous membrane, although the microstructure of the area of self‐healed damage is usually changed in this process.…”

Characterization of the Thermoset Blend of a Vinyl Ester Resin with Eco-friendly Epoxidized Corn Oil as a Potential Sustainable Composite Matrix Resin

“…In reality, three variables are crucial for developing novel polymeric materials: chemical composition, microstructure, and architecture. Extensive chemical and microstructure modification is usually required to create innovative metallic alloys, ceramics, polymers, and their composites. − To address these environmental problems, biobased chemicals have lately sparked great interest and enabled new innovations for epoxy cross-linked polymers, both academically and industrially. Epoxy monomers are also often generated from a kind of double bond in natural products: When the natural products already include double bonds in the aliphatic chains, such as vegetable oils, the epoxidation process is carried out in the presence of H 2 O 2 …”