Flame retardant nanofibers from acrylonitrile, methylacrylate and vinylphosphonic acid terpolymers with using electrospinning technique

Polymers have been used many areas in our lifes with manufacturing different production methods. Due to the polymers have some advantages such as low cost and light weight so these advantages make them preferable material in many areas. Nanotechnology also effected our lifes and polymers can be used as a raw material for nanofiber production via different production methods. Electrospinning is one of the suitable nanofiber production method which is very proper and simple way to create versatile properties of nanofibers. Besides this developments, some disadvantages of polymers must be considered such as flammability. Due to the organic based structures of polymers that can be easily burn and cause very big bad results. To avoid fire conditions, flame retardant materials can be used as an additive during production of polymer products. Flame reterdant additives can be halogen, halogen free or inorganic. Halogen flame reterdants have a toxic gases during combustion and hazardous effects. For this reason, halogen free flame reterdants should be used to avoid toxic gases release to the enviroment. This study can be seprable into two main parts. The first part purpose is to synthesize and characterized acrylonitrile (AN), methyl acrylate (MA) and vinyl phopsponic acid (VPA) homopolymer, copolymers and terpolymers. And the second part is to produce nanofibers via electrospinning method with using synthesized polymers and add a flame retardant property to the produced nanofibers. For first part, initially homopolymer of PAN was synthesized. Then with different percentage of initiator to chain transfer agent ratio was used to synthesize copolymers and terpolymers under same reaction conditions. Synthesized P(AN) homopolymer, P(AN-MA) copolymers and P(AN-MA-VPA) terpolymers were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer (FTIR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of MA and VPA content on the spectroscopic and thermal properties of AN-MA copolymers and AN-MA-VPA terpolymers were investigated. In the second part of study, elecrospinning process of the homo PAN, AN-MA copolymer and AN-MA-VPA terpolymers solutions in dimethyl formamide (DMF) was prepared succesfully. Morphology of nanofibers was determined with using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).