Poly(methyl methacrylate) embedded fluorine-free polyurethane electrospun nanofiber membranes with enhanced waterproof and breathable performance

Waterproof and breathable membranes (WBMs) are desirable for protective materials; however, the existing WBMs are limited by fluorine-containing materials and complicated post-treatments. Herein, we innovatively designed fluorine-free polyurethane/poly (methyl methacrylate) (PU/PMMA) WBMs by one-step electrospinning technology. Benefiting from the introduction of hydrophobic PMMA, PU/PMMA WBMs presented higher hydrophobicity, smaller pore size, higher porosity, higher acid fastness, and stronger mechanical strength, which are favorable for the improvement of waterproofness, breathability, chemical resistance, and mechanical property. The resultant PU/PMMA-3 WBM exhibited good hydrostatic pressure (56.0 kPa), high moisture permeability (10.5 kg m-2 d-1), and high tensile strength (8.2 MPa). Besides, the PU/PMMA-3 WBM displayed outstanding chemical resistance. These results suggested that the PU/PMMA WBMs could be widely used in applications such as protective materials and wound dressings.