This work outlines a newly developed method that allows electrospun cellulose fibers to be coated with nanoparticles during dry-jet wet electrospinning. Cellulose fibers were wet electrospun from a room temperature ionic liquid solvent into a coagulation bath containing an aqueous suspension of magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles to prepare composites of nanofibers coated with functional nanoparticles. Flame retardant cellulose-magnesium hydroxide coated composite fibers were prepared to demonstrate this novel electrospinning method. The placement of the nanoparticles exclusively on the surface of the cellulose fibers dramatically impacted the functionality of the fibers. Electrospun cellulose fibers exhibited an onset of combustion in air at 239 degrees C and a maximum mass loss at 302 degrees C. Cellulose fibers with Mg(OH)(2) nanoparticles (<50 nm avg. diameter) inside them exhibited an onset of combustion at 267 degrees C and a maximum mass loss at 315 degrees C. Cellulose fibers with the same nanoparticles uniformly coated on their surfaces exhibited an onset of combustion at 276 degrees C and a maximum mass loss at 318 degrees C. When larger Mg(OH)(2) nanoparticles (>100 nm avg. diameter) were used, the onset of combustion was 185 degrees C and the maximum mass loss was at 216 degrees C when nanoparticles were inside the fibers, and the onset of combustion was 263 degrees C and the maximum mass loss was at 317 degrees C for Mg(OH)(2) nanoparticle coated cellulose fibers. Simple flame tests showed a similar trend, with nanoparticle-coated fibers being fire resistant and fibers with nanoparticles inside burned rapidly upon exposure to an open flame.

• Journal: Journal Of Materials Chemistry A
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 36
• Pages: 15029-15034
• ISSN: 2050-7488
• DOI: 10.1039/c4ta03221g
• Year: 2014
• Number:
• Type: