Silica dioxide-electrospun milled nanofibers

Catalog	ACM60676860-12
CAS	60676-86-0
Structure
Synonyms	Nanofibrous inorganic powder structure, SiO2
Molecular Weight	60.08
Molecular Formula	SiO2
Application	Silica dioxide electrospun milled nanofibers can absorb significantly more water than commercially aailable silicagel of the same mesoporous character. Applications include adsorbent of water and other polar sorbents, catalyst carrier, filtration, separation, li-ion battery separators, and sensors.
Storage	Storage Class Code: 13 - Non Combustible Solids
Fiber Diameter	100-300 nm
Form	nanofiber
Length	2-10 μm
Packaging	5g/10g
Type	Random fiber mesh

Case Study

Electrospun SiO2/Nylon 6,6 Nanofibrous Membranes as Thermally Stable Separators for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Yanilmaz, Meltem, et al. Electrochimica Acta, 2014, 133, 501-508.

This study prepared electrospun SiO2/nylon 6,6 nanofibrous membranes to explore their electrochemical properties for use as lithium-ion battery separators.
Preparation of SiO2/Nylon 6,6 Nanofibrous Membranes
Nylon 6,6 polymer was dissolved in formic acid to create an 18 wt.% solution for nanofibrous membrane production. SiO2 concentrations of 3, 6, 9, and 12 wt.% were added into the 18 wt.% nylon 6,6 solution which underwent overnight mechanical stirring before electrospinning. Then fabricated self-supporting membranes with a thickness of about 6.565 μm by electrospinning at 20 kV voltage.
Performance of SiO2/Nylon 6,6 Nanofibrous Membranes
• The nanofibrous membranes made from SiO2 and nylon 6,6 demonstrated outstanding mechanical strength and thermal stability and featured a highly porous structure. The improved electrochemical properties resulted from the membranes' increased porosity.
• SiO2/nylon 6,6 membranes demonstrated improved liquid electrolyte uptake and higher electrochemical oxidation limits while showing lower interfacial resistance with lithium compared to commercial microporous polyolefin membranes. Membranes containing varying SiO2 percentages (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12%) were used in lithium/lithium cobalt oxide and lithium/lithium iron phosphate cells, demonstrating high capacities and commendable cycling performance at room temperature.
• The SiO2/nylon 6,6 nanofiber membrane separators provided superior C-rate performance compared to commercial microporous polyolefin membranes in the tested cells.

Electrospun PVDF-SiO2 Nanofiber Membrane for Oil-Water Separation

Jiang, Shan, et al. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2020, 137(47), 49546.

The research implemented a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-silicon dioxide (SiO2) composite solution during electrospinning to create nanofiber membranes that displayed hierarchical surface roughness.
• Preparation of PVDF-SiO2 Nanofiber Membrane
A solution containing 15 wt% PVDF polymer was prepared by mixing DMF with acetone at a 1:1 weight ratio. To create a homogeneous solution PVDF powder was mixed with DMF and heated to 55°C for two hours while the mixture received continuous stirring for four hours. The electrospinning precursor was created by adding acetone and hydrophobic SiO2 nanoparticles (0–5 wt% relative to PVDF) to the mixture through ultrasonic agitation for 4 hours once it reached room temperature. The researchers loaded the 8 mL solution into a syringe and administered it through the system at a rate of 4 mL per hour. A collector with aluminum foil that spins at 200 rpm was placed 20 cm from the needle tip while applying 20 kV of voltage. The electrospinning process ran at a controlled temperature of 25 ± 3°C and relative humidity of 40 ± 2%. The vacuum apparatus dried the membrane for 12 hours at 60°C to remove any remaining solvents.
• Oil-Water Separation Performance
The hydrophobicity of the membrane increased when SiO2 content was raised from 0 to 3 wt% as it improved the water contact angle from 138.5 ± 1° to 150.0 ± 1.5°. The membrane demonstrated 99 ± 0.1% separation efficiency when operating under gravity-driven conditions and maintained a high flux rate of 1857 ± 101 L·m-2·h-1. The composite exhibited strong recyclable properties and chemical stability which makes it suitable for industrial oil-water separation tasks.