Regulating the integrity of diverse composite nanofiber membranes using an organoclay

Abstract An organoclay (up to 10 wt%) is incorporated into polymer nanofibers by optimizing the electrospinning conditions. A heat press treatment readily converts the resulting composite nanofiber mats into membranes without notable defects, allowing for the examination of the role of the clay in regards to the type of polymers possessing different hydrophilicity as a function of the content. The systematic loading of clay into the nanofiber membranes and their structural features are examined by various analytical techniques. The influence of the clay filler on the water wettability, thermal stability, and mechanical property of the membranes is also evaluated. Furthermore, the pore properties (e.g., pore size, porosity, tortuosity, etc.) and water flux patterns of the membranes are investigated to understand the relationships between the amount of the clay content and the hydrophilicity degree of the polymers. Hydrophilic polymers loaded with any amount of clay and hydrophobic polymers with low clay content generally render a positive impact on the overall properties of the membranes. However, high clay loading into hydrophobic polymers induces the detrimental effect of the clay on the performance of the membranes, except for their mechanical strength. These findings suggest the importance of the proper selection of polymers and fillers to regulate the overall properties of nanofiber-derived composite membranes.