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The electrospinning method was used for the preparation of polymeric nanofibrous layers made of polymers with possible use in the biomedical field. Various samples were prepared using combinations of polycaprolactone or poly(ethylene)oxide and hyaluronic acid. In both cases, nanofibrous layers were spun solely from a water solution. Using confocal Raman spectroscopy we were able to distinguish substantial variations in the distribution of the polymers caused by various preparation parameters and to characterize the prepared samples. Moreover, combining Raman spectroscopy with a mathematical method-singular value decomposition-enabled us to determine the ratios between the polymers used and thus to show the distribution of the present chemical constituents within a localized sample area. This may prove useful for the checking of production of nanofibrous products. Graphical abstract

Conventional electrospinning produces randomly ordered nanofibers, however many potential applications require precisely defined morphology and anisotropic properties of nanofibrous materials. In this work, a collector consisting of two segments has been used to prepare uniaxially ordered nanofibers. Optimized collector design comes from both analytical calculations of electrostatic strength in the vicinity of the electrodes and from experimental verification by polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers fabrication. The transversal electric strength is a key factor in achieving very well aligned nanofibers. The results presented here help provide a better understanding of the electrically induced alignment mechanism.

Natural and synthetic nanostructured polymers in the form of fibers are used in medical and cosmetic applications. One of the main advantages of the electrospinning method is its flexibility, which allows to use airflow in the vicinity of a spinneret to increase production. The acceleration of solvent evaporation rate allows the solution feed rate to be increased. Experimental results confirmed a significant increase in the production of hyaluronic acid and poly(ethylene) oxide nanofibers. The increase occurs when higher airflow velocity and higher airflow temperature are used, causing a decrease in the partial pressure of solvent vapours and relative humidity when a supercritical intensity of the electrostatic field is applied. The obtained results indicate that the electroblowing method offers some significant advantages, making it suitable not only for the research and development of new nanofibrous materials but also for the potentially successful production of such materials for targeted applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 00:000-000,