This study aimed to investigate the incorporation of rutin into electrospun pullulan and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers to obtain ultraviolet (UV)-resistant properties. The effect of weight ratios between pullulan and PVA, and the addition of rutin on the nanofibers’ morphology and diameters were studied and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis was utilized to investigate the interaction between pullulan and PVA, as well as with rutin. The results showed that the inclusion of PVA results in the increase in the fiber’s diameter. The addition of rutin had no obvious effect on the fibers’ average diameters when the content of rutin was less than 7.41%. FTIR results indicated that a hydrogen bond formed between pullulan and PVA, also between these polymers and rutin. Moreover, the addition of rutin could enhance the mechanical properties due to its stiff structure and could decrease the transmittance of UVA and UVB to be fewer than 5%; meanwhile, the value of ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) reached more than 40 and 50 when the content of rutin was 4.46% and 5.67%, respectively. Therefore, the electrospun pullulan/PVA/rutin nanofibrous mats showed excellent UV resistance and have potential applications in anti-ultraviolet packaging and dressing materials.

This paper studied the thermal behavior of gelatin, chitosan, and their complex. Thermal stability was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis, and the results showed that gelatin and chitosan raw materials exhibited two decomposition stages while as-electrospun nanofibrous mats had three decomposition stages. Moreover, chitosan raw material had better thermal stability than gelatin. However, its electrospun partner revealed its opposite trend. X-ray diffraction was used to analyze the crystalline property and the result showed that the crystallinity decreased due to the interaction with the solvents, and thus the thermal stability sharply decreased. In addition, incorporation of gelatin could improve the thermal stability of chitosan.

The aim of this study was to investigate the cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibrous mats treated by flourinated alkane in supercritical carbon dioxide medium. The surface morphology and chemical structure of electrospun mats were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared. The results showed that the treated mats could maintain their integrity and fibrous morphology as well as their porous structure after being treated. However, the wettability was changed greatly, the average contact angle of treated nanofibrous mats increased from its original value of 28? to 134?, revealing that the treated mats had good water repellent properties. The paper concluded that the hydrophobic and breathable mats with porous structure might be an excellent candidate for food package materials.

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