MUMBAI, India, June 30 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641073707 A) filed by Vellore Institute Of Technology on June 13, 2026, for “a Method For Fabricating Hydrophobic Polyacrylonitrile (pan) Nanofibers”.
Inventors include Dharshini St; and Ashutosh Mahajan.
The application for the patent was published on June 26, 2026, under issue no. 26/2026.
Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for fabricating hydrophobic polyacrylonitrile, PAN, nanofibers using an electrospinning technique. The method comprises preparing a precursor solution of PAN and naphthalene dissolved in dimethylformamide, DMF, maintaining a constant total solute concentration while varying the relative proportions of PAN and naphthalene, and stirring the solution to obtain a homogeneous mixture. The solution is then electrospun under controlled process parameters including voltage, flow rate, and tip-to-collector distance. Naphthalene is incorporated in an amount ranging from 10% to 70% of the total solute, resulting in a significant reduction in solution viscosity and enabling the formation of finer, bead-free nanofibers. The resulting PAN–naphthalene composite nanofibers exhibit enhanced hydrophobicity with a water contact angle in the range of 100° to 135°, while maintaining high particulate matter filtration efficiency. The invention also provides a hydrophobic nanofiber membrane comprising the electrospun composite nanofibers, suitable for applications in air filtration and protective materials. Fig1 to 6.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
