Raman Spectroscopy and Thermal Properties of PEO-PDMS Nanofibers

Polyethylene oxide (PEO) - polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), mixtures (PEO-PDMS) were produced by dissolving PEO in water followed by the homogenization of the solutions and subsequent addition of various amounts of PDMS. The mixture was homogenized both by stirring and high-power sonication. A fraction of these emulsions was force-spun, at various rotations-per-minute, to obtain nanofibers of PEO-PDMS blends while the remaining fraction was converted into a blend by removing the water in a hood at 60 °C, for 12 hours. The same thermal treatment was used to dry the PEO-PDMS nanofibers.

The atomic and molecular vibrations occurring in PEO-PDMS blends and nanofibers have been investigated by Raman spectroscopy by using a Renishaw InVia confocal microscope operating at 785 nm. The thermal stability of PEO-PDMS blends and nanofibers has been studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), in a nitrogen atmosphere, using a Netzsch instrument. A weak increase of thermal stability was noticed in sonicated nanofibers compared to non-sonicated samples. Additional DSC investigations of the melting/crystallization of this blend will be presented.