Preparation of Polypropylene Nanofibers as a Function of the Thermal Exposure Time of the Polymer in a Melt Electrospinning/Melt Blown Hybrid System

Eunji Moon; Jihwan Lim; Minseo Kim; Han Seong Kim

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3453-0

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Preparation of Polypropylene Nanofibers as a Function of the Thermal Exposure Time of the Polymer in a Melt Electrospinning/Melt Blown Hybrid System

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2025-12-03

- Preparation of Polypropylene Nanofibers as a Function of the Thermal Exposure Time of the Polymer in a Melt Electrospinning/Melt Blown Hybrid System
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 43, Issue 12, Pages: 2422-2431(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.School of Chemical Engineering, Pusan National University, 2, Busandaehak-ro 63boen-gil, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
  b.Institute of advanced organic materials, Pusan National University, 2, Busandaehak-ro 63boen-gil, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
- Author bio：
  
  hanseongkim@pusan.ac.kr
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3453-0
  CLC：
- Received：30 June 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-08-09，
  
  Accepted：11 September 2025，
  
  Online First：19 November 2025，
  
  Published：15 December 2025
- Accepted：
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Moon, E.; Lim, J.; Kim, M.; Kim, H. S. Preparation of polypropylene nanofibers as a function of the thermal exposure time of the polymer in a melt electrospinning/melt blown hybrid system. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 2422–2431

Eunji Moon, Jihwan Lim, Minseo Kim, et al. Preparation of Polypropylene Nanofibers as a Function of the Thermal Exposure Time of the Polymer in a Melt Electrospinning/Melt Blown Hybrid System[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(12): 2422-2431.
Moon, E.; Lim, J.; Kim, M.; Kim, H. S. Preparation of polypropylene nanofibers as a function of the thermal exposure time of the polymer in a melt electrospinning/melt blown hybrid system. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 2422–2431 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3453-0.

Eunji Moon, Jihwan Lim, Minseo Kim, et al. Preparation of Polypropylene Nanofibers as a Function of the Thermal Exposure Time of the Polymer in a Melt Electrospinning/Melt Blown Hybrid System[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(12): 2422-2431. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3453-0.

摘要

A melt electrospinning/melt-blown hybrid with a 0.3-mm nozzle and auxiliary hot air continuously produces solvent-free polypropylene fibers (~0.86 μm) for battery separators. Hot-air temperature chiefly controls fineness and stability. Higher nozzle temperature reduces viscosity and raises throughput but thins little. Scalable and sustainable

the process promises next-generation Li-ion separator applications.

Abstract

This study reports the fabrication of polypropylene (PP)-based microfiber webs (<1 µm) using a hybrid melt electrospinning/blown process with the aim of establishing a scalable and solvent-free platform for advanced lithium-ion battery separators. The primary objective was to address the inherent limitations of conventional melt electrospinning particularly the difficulty of achieving fiber thinning due to the high viscosity of polymer melts by incorporating auxiliary hot air flow and reducing the nozzle diameter from 1.0 mm to 0.3 mm. This modified configuration enables enhanced jet elongation and fiber diameter control under processing conditions relevant to industrial applications. The effects of nozzle temperature

hot air temperature

and applied voltage on fiber formation and jet behavior were systematically examined using high-speed charge-coupled device (CCD) imaging techniques. The results demonstrated that increasing both the hot air temperature and applied voltage significantly improved fiber thinning and uniformity

yielding an average fiber diameter of approximately 0.86 µm without evidence of thermal degradation. In contrast

elevated nozzle temperatures

while enhancing melt flowability

resulted in increased discharge rates and hindered fiber refinement when applied alone. These findings identify hot-air temperature as the most robust and controllable parameter for producing submicron fibers while maintaining the polymer integrity. Although the present study primarily focuses on morphological optimization and jet dynamics

future research will investigate the functional performance of fabricated microfiber webs as battery separators. Overall

the proposed hybrid process offers a technically feasible and environmentally sustainable route for the continuous production of fine PP-based fibers tailored for high-performance energy-storage applications.

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