Direct fabrication of electrospun branched nanofibers with tiny diameters for oil absorption

Abstract

The surface morphology of nanomaterials has been attracting the attention of researchers in order to determine their advantages—related properties. In this work, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) branched nanofibers are directly electrospun with a diameter of less than 35 nm at low relative humidity. The surface morphology and branched structure of as-prepared PVDF webs are characterized. Furthermore, the wettability properties of electrospun fiber webs are demonstrated. The results show that PVDF branched nanofibers have tiny diameters, excellent water contact angle, outstanding specific surface area, and high oil absorption capacity, which exhibit a bright future in the field of oil absorption. We believe this study can be served as a good reference for the preparation, characterization, and application of the branched structure for oil-water separation.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Branched nanofibers
• tiny diameters
• electrospinning
• PVDF
• oil absorption

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51403033) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities from China (No. 14D310106 and No. 2232014D3-15).