| I. Electrospinning of polycarbonate using solvent mixtures of THF (Tetrahydrofuran) and DMF (Dimethylformamide) has been performed. Polycarbonate was selected because it is a promising thermoplastic and widely used injection molding material. The effect of various process parameters such as voltage, concentration, flow rate, and distance has been investigated. Morphology changes of polycarbonate fibers with different spinning voltages (25 to 30 kV), different polymer concentrations (14% to 18%), different flow rates (0.01 to 0.5 ml/min), different distances between target and syringe (4 to 10 inches) have been studied.; II. The main aim of the present work was to manufacture positively charged filters for separating negatively charged particles, mainly bacteria and virus from water.; We have been able to manufacture filters with a fine pore size of 0.3 mum with 50:50 ratios of base materials. We chose this value as most bacteria are in the size of 0.2--2 mum. A positive zeta potential of 31.43 mV has been attained with a resin percentage of 70% and a stirring time of 6 hours. From the DOE analysis we have concluded that the stirring time of the resin in the solvent is the most prominent parameter for the manufacture of highly positively charged filters. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
