Abstract
In this work, polyamide-6 (PA-6) solutions were prepared in various single solvent and mixed solvent systems. The concentration of PA-6 in the solutions was fixed at 32% (w/v). Some of the solution properties, i.e. shear viscosity, surface tension, and conductivity, were measured. For single solvent systems, only the solution of PA-6 in 85 wt.% formic acid gave a uniform electrospun fibers, with the average diameters being about 83.5 nm, while the solutions of PA-6 in m-cresol and 20 and 40 wt.% sulfuric acid did not form uniform fibers. For mixed solvent systems, the solvent mixtures were prepared by mixing 85 wt.% formic acid with m-cresol, 20 and 40 wt.% sulfuric acid, acetic acid, ethanol, dimethyl formamide (DMF), and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the compositional ratios of 10 to 40% (v/v). In general, the average diameters of the as-spun fibers were found to increase with increasing content of the second solvent. In mixed solvents of high compositional ratios of m-cresol and sulfuric acids (i.e. greater than 20%), fibers with rough surface were obtained.
