Hydrophilic nonwovens by Forcespinning™ of isotactic polypropylene blended with amphiphilic surfactants.

As a widely applied polymer, hydrophilic modification of polypropylene (PP) has been an important research field. Forcespinning™ uses centrifugal force to fabricate nanofibers rather than electrostatic force as in conventional electrospinning. The absence of electric fields provides a board opportunity for low dielectric materials and the utilization of centrifugal forces significantly increases the yield compared to electrospinning. Hydrophilic nonwovens from isotactic polypropylene (iPP) melt blended with amphihilic surfactant TWEEN20 and TWEEN60 were obtained by Forcespinning™. The factors were investigated by SEM and DSC, which determined fiber diameter distribution and crystallinity. The meshes showed continuous homogeneity along the length of the fiber when the system was employed at 225 °C and the rotational speed at 14,000 rpm. Blending with surfactants bearing ethoxylate groups led to increased oxygen content of the meshes surface as confirmed by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS results indicated preferential distribution of additives on surfaces. The forcespun meshes exhibited excellent hygroscopicity even when the load of TWEEN20 was 10 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]