Effect of Crosslinking Time on Ion Exchange Capacity of Polystyrene Nanofiber Ion Exchangers

In this study, polystyrene nanofiber ion exchangers (PSNIE) were successfully prepared by a new method comprising of electrospinning and the subsequent crosslinking with formaldehyde and sulfonation in sulfuric acid to create the cation exchange functionality on the fibers surfaces. The PS solution at 15% w/v in dimethylacetamide (DMAc) produced the smallest PS nanofibers (399±38 nm) with good performance. The degree of crosslink and ion exchange capacity (IEC) of PSNIE depended upon the crosslinking time. The longer crosslinking time caused the greater crosslinked PS fibers. At the longest crosslinking time of 75 min, the remaining crosslinked PS fibers in dichloromethane were 94.12%; whereas, the starting fibers completely dissolved. This crosslinking agent (e.g. formaldehyde) might introduce methylene bridges in addition to sulfone bridges into the fibers. However, IEC decreased as crosslinking time increased, probably due to the difficulty of sulfonic functional groups to react with crosslinked PS fibers. The PSNIE crosslinked for 10 min showed the maximum IEC of 2.86 meq/g-dry-PSNIE, and the diameter of the PSNIE after sulfonation increased to 450-460 nm. Since cationic drug could be loaded onto this novel PSNIE, this nanofiber ion exchanger may be applied for controlled release delivery.