Effects of Morphology, Structure and Altering Layers on the Composite Heat Resistance of Electrospun PS/PU

Thermal insulating materials are of paramount importance in many application areas, including building construction, electronics, aerospace engineering, the automobile industry and the clothing industry. Electrospun materials are light weight with a well-controlled fibre diameter/morphology and a h...

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Main Authors: Emilija Zdraveva, Zenun Skenderi, Ivana Salopek Čubrić, Budimir Mijovic
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) 2025-03-01
Series:Tekstilec
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Online Access:https://journals.uni-lj.si/tekstilec/article/view/19279
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author Emilija Zdraveva
Zenun Skenderi
Ivana Salopek Čubrić
Budimir Mijovic
author_facet Emilija Zdraveva
Zenun Skenderi
Ivana Salopek Čubrić
Budimir Mijovic
author_sort Emilija Zdraveva
collection DOAJ
description Thermal insulating materials are of paramount importance in many application areas, including building construction, electronics, aerospace engineering, the automobile industry and the clothing industry. Electrospun materials are light weight with a well-controlled fibre diameter/morphology and a highly interconnected porous structure that facilitates the trapping of air and breathability. When combined with other conventional materials, they enhance the thermal insulating property of a composite structure. This study focused on electrospun single polyurethane (PU), polystyrene (PS) and layered composites thereof, in terms of heat resistance and its dependence on fibre diameter, pore area, number, thickness (solution volume) and the position of electrospun layers. It thus contributes to the field by addressing the effects of multiple parameters effect on a composite material’s heat resistance. The fibre diameter for both electrospun polymers increased significantly by increasing the concentration, while there was a generally opposite effect from increasing electrical voltage. The 10 wt% PU and 30 wt% PS used to produce the layered composites demonstrated the highest reduction of the fibre mean diameter, from (443 ± 224) nm to (328 ± 148) nm, and from (2711 ± 307) nm to (2098 ± 290) nm, respectively. Thicker PS fibres resulted in the greatest mean pore areas of (13 ± 9) µm2, while the PU mean pore areas were in the range of (2 ± 1) µm2 to (4 ± 2) µm2. Although all single and PS/PU composites demonstrated a porosity greater than 97%, their configuration in terms of number of layers, total thickness and PS and PU positioning (includes fibre diameter and pore area) affected the measured heat resistance. Single electrospun PS demonstrated a reduction in heat resistance of 0.0219 m2K/W (compared to electrospun PU) due to its thicker fibres and larger pore areas, and thus looser structure. Combining the two electrospun layers improved heat resistance up to 0.0341 m2K/W. The total heat resistance of the layered PU/PS composite was increased (up to 0.1063 m2K/W for the electrospun PS/PS/PU/PU) by increasing the number and volume of each electrospun layer solution, and by spinning the PU layer on top of the system, which resisted the heat flow due to its smaller pore areas and compact structure. These results prove that by optimizing process/structure parameters, a multi-layered material with good thermal performance can be designed to meet the requirements of a thermal insulating product.
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language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)
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spelling doaj-art-04a1603edb104e08bc2a7d2394ed477f2025-08-20T03:50:31ZengUniversity of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)Tekstilec0351-33862350-36962025-03-0168110.14502/10.14502/tekstilec.68.2024091Effects of Morphology, Structure and Altering Layers on the Composite Heat Resistance of Electrospun PS/PUEmilija Zdraveva0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2845-8630Zenun Skenderi1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0758-1111Ivana Salopek Čubrić2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4295-5190Budimir Mijovic3https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8871-1703University of Zagreb Faculty of Textile Technology, Department of Fundamental Natural and Engineering Sciences, Prilaz b. Filipovića 28a, Zagreb, CroatiaUniversity of Zagreb Faculty of Textile Technology, Department of Textile Design and Management, Prilaz b. Filipovića 28a, Zagreb, CroatiaUniversity of Zagreb Faculty of Textile Technology, Department of Textile Design and Management, Prilaz b. Filipovića 28a, Zagreb, CroatiaUniversity of Zagreb Faculty of Textile Technology, Department of Fundamental Natural and Engineering Sciences, Prilaz b. Filipovića 28a, Zagreb, Croatia Thermal insulating materials are of paramount importance in many application areas, including building construction, electronics, aerospace engineering, the automobile industry and the clothing industry. Electrospun materials are light weight with a well-controlled fibre diameter/morphology and a highly interconnected porous structure that facilitates the trapping of air and breathability. When combined with other conventional materials, they enhance the thermal insulating property of a composite structure. This study focused on electrospun single polyurethane (PU), polystyrene (PS) and layered composites thereof, in terms of heat resistance and its dependence on fibre diameter, pore area, number, thickness (solution volume) and the position of electrospun layers. It thus contributes to the field by addressing the effects of multiple parameters effect on a composite material’s heat resistance. The fibre diameter for both electrospun polymers increased significantly by increasing the concentration, while there was a generally opposite effect from increasing electrical voltage. The 10 wt% PU and 30 wt% PS used to produce the layered composites demonstrated the highest reduction of the fibre mean diameter, from (443 ± 224) nm to (328 ± 148) nm, and from (2711 ± 307) nm to (2098 ± 290) nm, respectively. Thicker PS fibres resulted in the greatest mean pore areas of (13 ± 9) µm2, while the PU mean pore areas were in the range of (2 ± 1) µm2 to (4 ± 2) µm2. Although all single and PS/PU composites demonstrated a porosity greater than 97%, their configuration in terms of number of layers, total thickness and PS and PU positioning (includes fibre diameter and pore area) affected the measured heat resistance. Single electrospun PS demonstrated a reduction in heat resistance of 0.0219 m2K/W (compared to electrospun PU) due to its thicker fibres and larger pore areas, and thus looser structure. Combining the two electrospun layers improved heat resistance up to 0.0341 m2K/W. The total heat resistance of the layered PU/PS composite was increased (up to 0.1063 m2K/W for the electrospun PS/PS/PU/PU) by increasing the number and volume of each electrospun layer solution, and by spinning the PU layer on top of the system, which resisted the heat flow due to its smaller pore areas and compact structure. These results prove that by optimizing process/structure parameters, a multi-layered material with good thermal performance can be designed to meet the requirements of a thermal insulating product. https://journals.uni-lj.si/tekstilec/article/view/19279polyurethanepolystyrenefibre diameterpore areathermal resistance
spellingShingle Emilija Zdraveva
Zenun Skenderi
Ivana Salopek Čubrić
Budimir Mijovic
Effects of Morphology, Structure and Altering Layers on the Composite Heat Resistance of Electrospun PS/PU
Tekstilec
polyurethane
polystyrene
fibre diameter
pore area
thermal resistance
title Effects of Morphology, Structure and Altering Layers on the Composite Heat Resistance of Electrospun PS/PU
title_full Effects of Morphology, Structure and Altering Layers on the Composite Heat Resistance of Electrospun PS/PU
title_fullStr Effects of Morphology, Structure and Altering Layers on the Composite Heat Resistance of Electrospun PS/PU
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Morphology, Structure and Altering Layers on the Composite Heat Resistance of Electrospun PS/PU
title_short Effects of Morphology, Structure and Altering Layers on the Composite Heat Resistance of Electrospun PS/PU
title_sort effects of morphology structure and altering layers on the composite heat resistance of electrospun ps pu
topic polyurethane
polystyrene
fibre diameter
pore area
thermal resistance
url https://journals.uni-lj.si/tekstilec/article/view/19279
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AT ivanasalopekcubric effectsofmorphologystructureandalteringlayersonthecompositeheatresistanceofelectrospunpspu
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