Solutions of PVA in DMSO exhibit higher viscosities and relaxation times compared to solutions of PVA in water and are expected to show higher fiber diameters on electrospinning. Contradictorily, the fiber diameters of electrospun fibers of PVA-DMSO system are lower than that of PVA-water system. This atypical behaviour arises due to pseudostructure formation in DMSO, thereby resulting in an increase in the viscosity and relaxation time but a drop in entanglements resulting in lower fiber diameters. Therefore, a direct correlation between entanglements per chain and fiber diameter was deduced.
- Deepika Gupta
- Manjeet Jassal
- Ashwini K. Agrawal
