Enabling electrospinning of medium-chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by blending with short-chain length PHAs

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have recently attracted significant attention in medical applications. Electrospinning of short chain-length (scl-)PHAs has been extensively investigated, while medium chain length (mcl-)PHAs are not suitable for electrospinning since they are elastomeric at room temperature. We improved the electrospinability of an mcl-PHA poly (3-hydroxyoctanoate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHOHHx) by blending with a scl-PHA poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV25, with 25?mol% HV). Morphology of electrospun PHBV25/PHOHHx blends at various ratios was investigated. Effects of various processing parameters on nanofiber morphology were investigated, such as solution concentration, feeding rate and applied voltage. Crystallinity, chemical structure, and mechanical properties of the electrospun mats were also studied.