Porous and non-porous electrospun fibres from discarded expanded polystyrene

In this study, we report the electrospinning of expanded polystyrene (E-PS) in xylene and tetrahydrofuran to produce microfibres. The aim is to develop a viable technique for waste polystyrene electrospun fibers for various applications. The E-PS was dissolved in xylene and tetrahydrofuran (THF), spun at voltage range of 10 to 28 kV keeping the spinning distance constant. The E-PS was characterized with Fourier transform infra red spectrophotometer (FTIR) and fibres obtained were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The diameter of the fibres formed is in the range of 1.0 to 25.0 µm. The results obtained clearly justify the use of discarded E-PS as an inexpensive substitute for the specialized polymer carriers commonly used in electrospinning work.