Control of structure, morphology and property in electrospun poly(glycolide-co-lactide) non-woven membranes via post-draw treatments

Non-woven biodegradable membranes fabricated by electrospinning have recently attracted a great deal of attention for biomedical applications. In this study, microstructure, morphology and texture of electrospun poly(glycolide-co-lactide) (GA/LA: 90:10, PLA10GA90) non-woven membranes were investigated after post-draw and thermal treatments to tailor the degradation and mechanical properties. As-prepared electrospun PLA10GA90 membranes exhibited a low degree of crystallinity. When annealed at elevated temperatures without drawing, the membrane showed a higher degree of crystallinity with distinct lamellar structure but no overall orientation. The crystal orientation improved significantly when the membrane was drawn and annealed. As the elongation ratio increased, the degree of orientation and the tensile strength were increased. The corresponding tensile retention time was also increased from 2 to 12 days during in vitro degradation. Post-drawn and annealed membranes exhibited a slower degradation rate in the beginning of incubation, but a faster rate after two weeks of degradation when compared to as-spun membranes.