Poly(ethylene oxide) thin films produced by electrospray deposition: morphology control and additive effects of alcohols on nanostructure

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2004 Nov 15;279(2):484-92. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2004.06.075.

Abstract

Nanostructured thin films were prepared by electrospray deposition (ESD) from poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) aqueous solution. The surface morphologies of the deposited films were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images revealed the correlations between the morphologies and the ESD conditions. By changing the applied voltage and solution properties such as viscosity, surface tension, conductivity, and molecular weight, PEO thin films with diverse nanostructures--from nanospheres to nanofibers--were fabricated. It was also revealed that the addition of alcohols to polymer solution, which enables simultaneously changing the viscosity, the surface tension, and the conductivity, enhanced the formation of the fibrous structure. These results indicate that the ESD method is potentially a useful option for producing nanoengineered polymer surface.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alcohols / chemistry*
  • Electric Conductivity
  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / methods
  • Molecular Weight
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry*
  • Static Electricity
  • Surface Properties
  • Surface Tension
  • Viscosity
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Alcohols
  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Water
  • Polyethylene Glycols