Binary Structured Polypropylene/Polyethylene Glycol Micro-nanofibrous Membranes with Enhanced Water and Air Permeability

Abstract

As a stable chemical material, polypropylene (PP) micro-nanofibrous membranes are widely used in medical and health care. However, PP fibrous membranes with single nano scale diameter are conducive to high packing density, which results in large flow resistance across the membrane. Therefore, to improve the material’s water and air permeability, polyethylene glycol (PEG), an incompatible polymer with PP, was introduced by blending in a modified method using a melt blowing process. This proposed approach allows large 10 um diameter fibers to be entangled with fine 300 nm diameter fibers to produce highly porous binary structured fibrous membranes with small pore size. Because of its binary structure, the air permeability in the material reached 569.56 mm/s and the water vertical velocity was 70.15 mm/s. Additionally, the three-dimensional numerical calculations suggested that the high porosity and binary structure were key to enhancing water permeability in the fibrous membranes. These binary structured micro-nanofibrous membranes are expected to be used for filtration, separation, health care, oil/water separation, medical wound dressings, and other applications.