A Study on the Relation between Nanofiber Mat Porosity and Its UV Protection

The researches have shown that the nanofibrous mat porosity determination is the best way to evaluate the Ultraviolet (UV) transmission of white and non-dyed nanofibrous mats, and the fibers chemical structure is of secondary importance. There are different parameters affecting the porosity of nanofiber mat. The main aim of this study is to investigate the relation between the nanofibrous mat porosity and the UV protection (shielding) capability of the mats. For this purpose, the nanofibrous mats with different porosity were produced by electrospinning polyacrylonitrile solutions (11 and 15 wt% in dimethylformamide) on drum collector at various speeds. The porosity of electrospun samples was measured by the air permeability test. Moreover, their UV protection capability was determined by measuring the degradation of methylene blue dye solution protected by each mat sample under UV irradiation. The results showed that the nanofibrous mat with higher porosity and therefore higher UV-protection can be obtained by increasing the drum speed.