Electrospun Core-Sheath Fibers with a Uniformly Aligned Polymer Network Liquid Crystal (PNLC)

Electrospun polymer-liquid crystal (PLC) fibers have potential applications such as wearable sensors and adaptive textiles because of their rapid response and high flexibility. However, existing PLC fibers only have a narrow responsive range and poor resistance to heat and chemicals. Herein, a new type of PLC fiber is prepared by using a coaxial electrospinning process. The core solution is 4′-pentyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (5CB), and the sheath solution is a mixture containing 13 wt % PVP and 10 wt % reactive mesogen (RM). After UV exposure of the fibers, 5CB in the core and RM diffusing from the core are cross-linked into an LC polymer. The fibers have a highly uniform morphology with an average diameter of 3.2 ± 0.5 μm, and mesogens inside the fibers align unidirectionally with the long axis of the fibers. The fibers show a broad phase-transition temperature range between 13.5 and 155.5 °C and have a response time of less than 10 s. The temperature range can also be controlled by adjusting components in the electrospun fibers and UV exposure time. The core-sheath fibers prepared in such a manner exhibit excellent heat and chemical resistance with reversible optical responses. Moreover, when the fibers are exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as toluene, the fibers show a rapid optical response to toluene vapor within 25 s. This study demonstrates that the fibers are potentially useful for preparing flexible temperature and chemical sensors.