Atomic Scale Engineering of Polymer Fibers for Enhanced Filtration Performance

Manipulation of atomic scale structures of molecules in fibers provides a method to control and modify material properties, including short range forces near fiber surfaces, for practical applications. In this work mats of small PVDF electrospun fibers are polarized. The fiber structure is observed on a stabilized high resolution SEM with indications of the atomic structure of the fluorine atoms as bright spots on the SEM image. The polarized mats are evaluated for surface charge and tested for performance in the capture of nanoscale salt particles from flowing air stream.