Poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐hydroxyvalerate) and bovine serum albumin blend prepared by electrospinning

Electrospinning is a method for the preparation of nanosized polymer fibers. Here, electrospinning is used to prepare a blend of a polyester, poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), and a globular protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). The electrospun blend film is compared with a solution‐cast blend film and with single‐component electrospun films made of PHBV and BSA. In the electrospun blend films, BSA manifests itself as flat ribbons and a fine network formed from fibers less than 50 nm in diameter. The dissolution rate of BSA from the electrospun blended film is lower than from the solution‐cast one. The films are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and contact‐angle measurements. The obtained PHBV+BSA blend films have several emergent properties: a slow BSA dissolution rate, a fine BSA network, and unusual thermal behavior. Thus, the PHBV+BSA blend films introduce a new class of polymer–protein blends. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45090.     

Effect of platinum salt concentration on the electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile/platinum acetylacetonate solution

The preparation and characterization of electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/platinum(II) acetylacetonate composite nanofibers were investigated. The solution properties, such as viscosity, surface tension, and conductivity, of Pt‐acetylacetonate‐added PAN solutions in N,N‐dimethylformamide were measured, and their influences on the resulting fiber structure were also determined. At low Pt salt concentrations, the addition of Pt salt increased the fiber diameter but did not change the fiber diameter distribution. However, the fiber diameter decreased, and the fiber diameter distribution became broader when the Pt salt concentration went beyond a critical value. The structure of the electrospun fibers was determined by the formation of polymer–salt– solvent interactions, which changed the balance among the viscosity, surface tension, and conductivity of the solutions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Electrospun nanofibers of block copolymer of trimethylene carbonate and ϵ‐caprolactone

The electrospinning behavior of a block copolymer of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) and ε‐caprolactone dissolved in N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) and methylene chloride (MC) was studied. The effects of the blended solvent volume ratio, concentration, voltage, and tip–collector distance (TCD) on the morphology of the electrospun fibers were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the diameter of the electrospun fibers decreased with a decreasing molar ratio of MC to DMF, but beads formed gradually. With a decreasing concentration of the solution, the fiber diameter decreased; at the same time, beads also appeared and changed from spindlelike to spherical. A higher voltage and larger TCD favored the formation of smaller diameter electrospun fibers. The results of differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray diffraction showed that the crystallinity and melting point of the electrospun fibers decreased when increasing the TMC content in the copolymer. Compared with the corresponding films, the crystallinity and melting point of the electrospun fibers were obviously increased. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 1462–1470, 2006     

Electrokinetic properties of polypropylene‐layered silicate nanocomposite fibers

Nanocomposite fibers based on polypropylene (PP) polymer were prepared with different content of nanofiller. Filaments were spun from an isotactic iPP homopolymer. Montmorillonite modified by N,N‐dimethyl‐N,N dioctadecylammonium cations was used for preparation of PP nanocomposite fibers. A PP grafted with acrylic acid was added as a coupling agent. Nanocomposite fibers were characterized, i.e., the surface morphology of PP nanocomposite fibers was observed and surface properties were defined by electrokinetic properties determination by zeta potential measurements. For particle distribution observation the plasma etching was involved as a method for sample preparation. The addition of nanoparticles has an impact on ZP value of nanofilled fibers, however, isoelectric point IEP is not significantly influenced by different concentrations of nanofiller. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

The change of bead morphology formed on electrospun polystyrene fibers

Polystyrene (PS) dissolved in the mixture of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) was electrospun to prepare fibers of sub-micron in diameters. Electropinning parameters such as polymer concentration, applied voltage and tip-to-collector distance were controlled. From these parameters it was determined that while the surface tension of polymer solution had linear correlation with the critical voltage, throughput was dependent on electric conductivity. The electrospun PS fibers produced contained irregular beads and electrospinning certainly was enhanced with increasing DMF content. The bead concentration was also controlled by DMF content. The aspect ratio of the formed beads and the diameter of fibers were increased with increasing solution concentration. When PS was dissolved in only THF, an unexpected half hollow spheres (HHS) structure appeared. Also, different shape forms of PS non-woven mats have been prepared by controlling electrospinning parameters.     

Morphology of ultrafine polysulfone fibers prepared by electrospinning

Ultrafine fibers of bisphenol‐A polysulfone (PSF) were prepared by electrospinning of PSF solutions in mixtures of N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAC) and acetone at high voltages. The morphology of the electrospun PSF fibers was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that the concentration of polymer solutions and the acetone amount in the mixed solvents influenced the morphology and the diameter of the electrospun fibers. The processing parameters, including the applied voltage, the flow rate, and the distance between capillary and collection screen, were also important for control of the morphology of electrospun PSF fibers. It was suggested that uniform ultrafine PSF fibers with diameter of 300–400 nm could be obtained by electrospinning of a 20 % (wt/v) PSF/DMAC/acetone (DMAC:acetone = 9:1) solution at 10–20 kV voltages when the flow rate was 0.66 ml h^?1 and capillary–screen distance was 10 cm. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Electrospinning of thermoplastic polyurethane microfibers and nanofibers from polymer solution and melt

Electrospinning technique was used to produce ultrafine fibers from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). A direct comparison between melt and solution electrospinning of TPU was provided for the evaluation of process–structure relationship. It was found that the deposition rate of melt electrospinning (0.6 g h^?1) is four times higher than that of solution electrospinning (0.125 g h^?1) for TPU under the same processing condition. However, the average fiber diameters of solution electrospun TPUs (220–280 nm) were much lower than those of melt electrospun TPUs (4–8 μm). The effect of processing variables including collection distance and electric field strength on the electrospun fiber diameter and morphology was also studied. The findings indicate that increasing the electric field strength yielded more electrical forces acting on polymer jet and resulted in a decrease in fiber diameter as a result of more fiber drawing in both solution and melt electrospun fibers. It was also demonstrated that increasing the collection distance led to an improvement in the solidification of melt electrospun fibers and thus less fused fibers were obtained. Finally, a close investigation of fiber structures revealed that melt electrospun TPU fibers had smooth surface, whereas solution electrospun TPU fibers showed high intensity of cracks on the fiber surface. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Nanofibers from recycle waste expanded polystyrene using natural solvent

Summary A new recycling technique has been developed. In this method, EPS (expanded polystyrene), generally called Styrofoam, is dissolved with natural solvent, d-limonene and electrospun. This method can economically produce the nanofibers. The electrospinning process produces a nonwoven mat of long polymer fibers with diameters in the range of 10–500 nm and high surface areas per unit mass. PS (Polystyrene) polymer dissolved in different solvents such as THF (Tetrahydrofuran), DMF (Dimethylformaide), and DMAc (Dimethylacetamide) etc. may all be electrospun into nanofibers. These solvents cause environmental problem and difficulty of process handling. Natural solvent, d-limonene is used for dissolving PS. PS nanofibers are produced with PS solution using d-Limonene. This paper describes the use of polystyrene (PS) nanofibers electrospun from recycled EPS solution dissolved in d-limonene. The electrospun polystyrene nanofiber diameters vary from 300 to 900 nm, with an average diameter of about 700 nm.     

Biodegradable nanofibrous membrane of zein/silk fibroin by electrospinning

BACKGROUND: Electrospinning of natural polymers offers a promising approach to generate nanofibers with a similar fibrillar structure to that of native extracellular matrix. In the present work, zein/silk fibroin (SF) blends were electrospun with formic acid as solvent to fabricate bicomponent nanofibrous scaffolds for biomedical applications. RESULTS: The zein/SF electrospun nanofibers had a smaller diameter and narrower diameter distribution than pure zein nanofibers, and the average diameter gradually decreased from 265 to 230 nm with increasing SF content in the blend. The predominant presence of α‐helix zein structure and random coil form of silk I in blend fibrous membranes was confirmed from Fourier transform infrared spectral and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction data, while conversion to the β‐sheet structure of SF was also detected. The tensile strength of the zein/SF fibrous membranes was improved as the content of SF in the blend fibers increased. A preliminary study of in vitro degradation and cytotoxicity evaluated by MTT assay indicated that biodegradable zein/SF fibrous membranes did not induce cytotoxic effects in an L929 mouse fibroblast system. CONCLUSION: Biodegradable zein/SF fibrous membranes with good mechanical properties and cytocompatibility combine the beneficial characteristics of the individual components and may be useful for biomedical applications. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Tailoring the grooved texture of electrospun polystyrene nanofibers by controlling the solvent system and relative humidity

In this study, we have successfully fabricated electrospun polystyrene (PS) nanofibers having a diameter of 326 ± 50 nm with a parallel grooved texture using a mixed solvent of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). We discovered that solvent system, solution concentration, and relative humidity were the three key factors to the formation of grooved texture and the diameter of nanofibers. We demonstrated that grooved nanofibers with desired properties (e.g., different numbers of grooves, widths between two adjacent grooves, and depths of grooves) could be electrospun under certain conditions. When THF/DMF ratio was higher than 2:1, the formation mechanism of single grooved texture should be attributed to the formation of voids on the jet surface at the early stage of electrospinning and subsequent elongation and solidification of the voids into a line surface structure. When THF/DMF ratio was 1:1, the formation mechanism of grooved texture should be ascribed to the formation of wrinkled surface on the jet surface at the early stage of electrospinning and subsequent elongation into a grooved texture. Such findings can serve as guidelines for the preparation of grooved nanofibers with desired secondary morphology.     

Transparent poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐butyl acrylate) nanofibers

Nanofibers of n‐Butyl Acrylate/Methyl Methacrylate copolymer [P(BA‐co‐MMA)] were produced by electrospinning in this study. P(BA‐co‐MMA) was synthesized by emulsion polymerization. The structural and thermal properties of copolymers and electrospun P(BA‐co‐MMA) nanofibers were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy–Attenuated total reflectance (FTIR–ATR), Nuclear magnetic spectroscopy (NMR), and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). FTIR–ATR spectra and NMR spectrum revealed that BA and MMA had effectively participated in polymerization. The morphology of the resulting nanofibers was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, indicating that the diameters of P(BA‐co‐MMA) nanofibers were strongly dependent on the polymer solution dielectric constant, and concentration of solution and flow rate. Homogeneous electrospun P(BA‐co‐MMA) fibers as small as 390 ± 30 nm were successfully produced. The dielectric properties of polymer solution strongly affected the diameter and morphology of electrospun polymer fibers. The bending instability of the electrospinning jet increased with higher dielectric constant. The charges inside the polymer jet tended to repel each other so as to stretch and reduce the diameter of the polymer fibers by the presence of high dielectric environment of the solvent. The extent to which the choice of solvent affects the nanofiber characteristics were well illustrated in the electrospinning of [P(BA‐co‐MMA)] from solvents and mixed solvents. Nanofiber mats showed relatively high hydrophobicity with intrinsic water contact angle up to 120°. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 4264–4272, 2013     

N,N‐Dimethylformamide Additions to the Solution for the Electrospinning of Poly(ε‐caprolactone) Nanofibers

Summary: Additives that exhibit polyelectrolyte behavior such as N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) may improve the electrospinning characteristics of viscoelastic polymer solutions. DMF additions to the solution lead to extensive jet splaying, thereby reducing the fiber diameter significantly. Nanofibrous structures with diameters of the order of 150 nm can be produced by the addition of about 10 vol.‐% DMF to the solvent (chloroform). DMF additions also yield a narrow, unimodal distribution of fibers, compared to the bimodal distribution typically detected in electrospun polymers.

Jet breakdown without (left) and with DMF addition to the solution.     

Electrospun nonwovens of shape‐memory polyurethane block copolymers

Synthesized shape‐memory polyurethane (PU) block copolymers were used to prepare electrospun nonwovens via electrospinning. PU solutions were prepared with a mixed solvent of N,N‐dimethylformamide and tetrahydrofuran. The electrospun PU nonwovens were prepared with hard‐segment concentrations of 40 and 50 wt %. The morphology of the electrospun fibers was investigated with scanning electron microscopy. The average diameter of low‐viscosity (ca. 130–180 cPs) electrospun fibers was about 800 nm, and the morphology of the electrospun nonwovens was beaded‐on fibers. In contrast, the average diameter of high‐viscosity (ca. 530–570 cPs) electrospun fibers was about 1300 nm. In an investigation of the mechanical properties of the electrospun PU nonwovens, it was found that the tensile strength increased as the hard‐segment concentration increased within a similar range of viscosities. Also, the tensile strength of the electrospun PU nonwovens in the machine direction was higher than that in the transverse direction because of a difference in the velocities of the drum collectors. The electrospun PU nonwovens with hard‐segment concentrations of 40 and 50 wt % were found to have a shape recovery of more than 80%. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 460–465, 2005     

Electrospin of polysulfone in N,N’-dimethyl acetamide solutions

Nanofibers of polysulfone (PSU) were prepared by electro-spinning from 10∼20 wt.% PSU solutions in N,N’-dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) mixed with 0.0∼0.1 wt.% LiCl. With increasing PSU concentration, the morphology of fibers electrospun were bead, mixture of bead-fiber and fiber, and smooth fibers when PSU concentration was 10, 12–15, and 18–20 wt.%, respectively. The bead sizes decreased and fiber diameters increased as PSU concentration was increased. The fiber diameter decreased with increases of the LiCl concentration and the distance from spinneret to collection plate. The fiber diameter also decreased with decreasing solution feeding rate. The fiber diameter distribution electrospun from 20 wt.% PSU solutions was much broader than those electrospun from 18 wt.% PSU solution. For 18 wt.% PSU solution, the average fiber diameter (AFD) decreased when the applied voltage V was increased from 7 to 12 kV. However, for 20 wt.% PSU solutions, the AFD increased when V was increased from 7 to 12 kV. The different morphology of fibers electrospun from 18 and 20 wt.% PSU solutions was attributed to the much higher viscosity of 20 wt.% PSU solution than 18 wt.% PSU solution.     

Electrospinning of degradable elastomeric nanofibers with various morphology and their interaction with human fibroblasts

Artelon® (degradable poly(urethane urea) elastomer) was electrospun into scaffolds for tissue engineering. The diameter of the electrospun fibers, studied by scanning electron microscopy, ranged from 100 nm to a few μm, with an average diameter of 750 nm. The molar mass of the polymer had a major influence on the morphology of the scaffold. Furthermore, aging of the polymer solution caused changes in viscosity, as measured by stress sweeps between 13.5–942 Pa that affected the morphology. The electrospun Artelon mats exhibited about the same elongations to break, both exceeding 200%, measured by tensile tests. The degradation study showed similar degradation behavior in electrospun mats and solids. In vitro study showed that human fibroblasts not only adhere to the surface but also migrate, proliferate, and produce components of an extracellular matrix. These results strongly support the use of electrospun Artelon as a scaffold in tissue engineering. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Melt‐electrospinning of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polyalirate

Rodlike polymer samples were made from three kinds of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) pellets with different intrinsic viscosities (IV), and from polyalirate (Vectra) pellets. PET and Vectra fibers were produced using a melt‐electrospinning system equipped with a CO₂‐laser melting device from these rodlike samples. The effects of IV value and laser output power on the fiber diameter of PET were investigated. Furthermore, the effect of the laser output power on the fiber diameter of Vectra was investigated. The crystal orientation of these produced fibers was also investigated by X‐ray photographs. The following conclusions were reached: (i) the diameter of PET fiber decreases with increasing laser output power; (ii) the minimum average diameter of PET fibers is scarcely influenced by the value of IV; (iii) the electrospun PET fibers show isotropic crystal orientation; (iv) fibers having an average fiber diameter smaller than 1 μm cannot be obtained from PET and Vectra using the system developed; and (v) preferred liquid crystal orientation can be seen in electrospun Vectra fibers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Preparation of chitosan bicomponent nanofibers filled with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles via electrospinning

Chitosan (CS) bicomponent nanofibers with an average diameter controlled from 100 to 50 nm were successfully prepared by electrospinning of CS and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend solution. Finer fibers and more efficient fiber formations were observed with increased PVA contents. On this contribution, a uniform and ultrafine nanofibrous CS bicomponent mats filled with hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles were successfully electrospun in a well devised condition. An increase in the contents of HA nanoparticles caused the conductivity of the blend solution to increase from 1.06 mS/cm (0 wt % HA) to 2.27 mS/cm (0.5 wt % HA), 2.35 mS/cm (1.0 wt % HA), respectively, and the average diameter of the composite fibers to decrease from 59 ± 10 nm(0 wt % HA) to 49 ± 10 nm (0.5 wt % HA), 46 ± 10 nm (1.0 wt % HA), respectively. SEM images showed that some particles had filled in the nanofibers whereas the others had dispersed on the surface of fibers, and EDXA results indicated that both the nanoparticles filled in the nanofibers and those adhered to the fibers were HA particles. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Effect of electrospun fibers of polyhydroxybutyrate filled with different organoclays on morphology,biodegradation, and thermal stability of poly(ε‐caprolattone)

The properties of nanocomposites of poly(ε‐caprolattone) (PCL) were studied, the pristine PCL was implemented with the introduction of electrospun fibers of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), containing a cationic (Cloisite) or an anionic (Perkalite) clay. These multicomponent composites containing a very low amount of clay confined in fibers are different from usual nanocomposite materials containing clay dispersed in the polymer matrix, which are produced by solvent casting or melt extrusion. To analyze the influence of the different fillers on the final composite, a preliminary study on PHB cast films and fibers prepared from the same solution was carried out, and then a thorough analysis was accomplished of the behavior of these particular nanocomposites PCL/PHB fibers/clay to elucidate the effects of the filled electrospun fibers on the PCL matrix. The structure and morphology of the samples were characterized by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and small angle X‐ray scattering; differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were used to understand the influence of the fillers on the thermal behavior and stability; mechanical properties were evaluated and biodegradation studies were carried out. The PHB electrospun fibers and the fractured surface of the final composites were examined by scanning electron microscopy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42342.     

The effect of embedded vanadium catalyst on activated electrospun CFs for hydrogen storage

In this paper, the effect of embedding vanadium pentoxide in electrospun carbon fiber was investigated in relation to textural properties and hydrogen storage behavior. Electrospun carbon fibers involving vanadium were prepared from polyacrylonitrile/N,N-dimethyl formamide/vanadium pentoxide through electrospinning method and heat treatment. Chemical activation of electrospun carbon fibers was carried out in order to generate the pore by using potassium hydroxide as a chemical agent. Eventually, vanadium embedded activated electrospun carbon fibers (AECFs) with high specific surface area 2780 m²/g were prepared as a hydrogen storage medium. As the effects of vanadium pentoxide, it was found that dissociated oxygen from vanadium pentoxide in electrospun fibers would generate the ultra-micropore (0.6 nm) by forming carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide during the carbonization. Also, vanadium in electrospun carbon fibers is considered to act as a catalyst for the improved capacity of hydrogen adsorption. Vanadium embedded AECFs have the high capacity of hydrogen storage, about 2.5 wt% at room temperature and 100 bar.     

Melt electrospinning from poly(L‐lactide) rods coated with poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol)

Rodlike poly(L ‐lactide) (PLLA) samples coated with poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) were made. Fibers were produced from these rodlike samples by using a melt electrospinning system equipped with a laser irradiating device, and the effects of EVOH content and the processing parameters of the melt electrospinning on fiber diameters were investigated. We also studied the fiber formation mechanism from the rods during the laser melt electrospinning process. The following conclusions were reached: (i) coating of EVOH on PLLA rods has a remarkable effect on decreasing fiber diameter from 3 μm to around 1 μm; (ii) increases in the electric field strength and temperature of spinning space decrease the average diameter of fibers produced from pure PLLA rods, and longer collector distance leads to lager PLLA fiber diameter; and (iii) the migration of PLLA component from the core to the surface of electrospun fibers takes place during the fiber formation process. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009