In this study, it was investigated experimentally the influence of various solvents (distilled water and
ethanol) on the solution properties, spinning performance, and fibre morphology of the electro spun Poly
(acrylic acid) nanofibers. Firstly, polymer solutions were prepared at 5 wt % PAA with various solvent ratios of
ethanol and distilled water. Then, solution properties such as viscosity, density, pH, conductivity, and surface
tension were determined. The production of nanofiber samples was carried out by electrospinning under the
optimum process parameters (voltage, distance between electrodes, feed rate, and atmospheric conditions).
Finally, the morphological characterization of the nanofiber surface was carried out with SEM. According to the
results, it was observed that conductivity, surface tension and the density of the solution increase as the ethanol
ratio decreases. On the other hand, pH value increases as the ethanol ratio increases and, so, the acidic value of
the solutions decreases. The viscosity increased until the ethanol/distilled water ratio was 50/50 and then
decreased as the ethanol percentage decreased to under 50%. In addition, average fibre diameter decreases
with ethanol ratio decreases. It is possible to say that solvent type affects solution properties, fibre morphology
and spinning performance significantly. Generally, fine, uniform and bead free nanofibers could be electro spun
and the PAA solution containing 70 wt % distilled water and 30 wt % ethanol was selected as the optimum in
terms of fibre morphology, web quality and spinning performance.
Poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(n-butyl acrylate)-block-poly(acrylic acid) triblock terpolymers with highly asymmetric hydrophilic blocks: synthesis and aqueous solution properties