Synthesis and characterization of poly(ε-caprolactone) reinforced with aligned hybrid electrospun PMMA/nano-Al₂O₃ fibre mats by film stacking

PMMA and PMMA/10 wt% nano-Al₂O₃ fibre mats were produced by means of electrospinning and used as reinforcing phase of poly(ε-caprolactone) matrix. The composite films were fabricated by means of film-stacking technique. SEM observations showed good wettability of PMMA-based fibres by the PCL matrix, confirming that a strong interface was formed. The Al₂O₃ nanoparticles were well-distributed along the polymeric fibres. The introduction of PMMA fibres as a reinforcement led to a clear benefit in terms of the mechanical strength (11.5 ± 0.5 MPa), the value for neat PCL being 8.2 ± 2.2 MPa. The tensile strength was further increased when the fibres were loaded with nano-Al₂O₃ (14.4 ± 0.6 MPa) due to both the presence of the ceramic filler and the smaller diameter of the composite fibres. A less marked improvement was instead found on stiffness.