Electrospinning of cellulose‐based nanofibers

Abstract

Cellulose derivatives of carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (CMC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methylcellulose (MC), and enzymatically treated cellulose have been electrospun, and the microstructure of the resulting nanofibers has been analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Before electrospinning, the solutions were characterized by viscometry and surface tension measurements, and the results were correlated with spinnability. Four different CMC derivatives, varying in molecular weight (M w ), degree of substitution (DS), and substitution pattern, have been electrospun in mixtures with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), and nanofibers of various characteristics have formed. The CMC-based nanostructures, i.e., the nonwoven sheet and individual nanofibers, proved to be independent of M w and DS but largely dependent on the substitution pattern. The nonwoven sheets varied in homogeneity, and beads appeared on the individual fibers. Depending on the chemical nature of the CMC, the extraction of PEO resulted in pure CMC nanostructures of varying appearance, indicating that the distribution of PEO and CMC in the nanofibers also varied. Two different HPMC derivatives, varying in DS, were electrospun into nanofibers. Homogeneous nonwoven sheets based on nanofibers of similar appearance are formed, independent of the substitution content of the HPMC sample. Preliminary fibers were obtained from enzymatically treated cellulose in a solvent system based on lithium chloride dissolved in dimethyl acetamide (LiCl : DMAc).

Factors Affecting Spinnability of Oil Palm Mesocarp Fiber Cellulose Solution for the Production of Microfiber

“…From Table 3, it is shown that molecular weight of the OPMF-cellulose was 157,000 g/mol, while the degree of polymerization was 967. It has been reported that molecular weight and degree of polymerization may affect cellulose properties such as cellulose solubility, mechanical properties of cellulose-based materials, and spinnability (Audrey et al 2006). From the same table, it is seen that the molecular weight and degree of polymerization of OPMFcellulose was comparable to cellulose from other lignocellulosic materials.…”

A review on electrospun bio-based polymers for water treatment

“…Cellulose has interesting properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and recyclability. Electrospinning of pure cellulose, from its aqueous solutions, like most biopolymers poses many challenges, where some modifications of the electrospinning setup/ devices are needed [11,14]. For example, Frenot et al [11] found that the collected fibre stood straight up on the collector when plastic and aluminium covered plates are used as collectors.…”

“…The resulting nanostructured materials with an extremely large surface to volume ratio, and engineered porosity, malleability, stability and functionality, have been applied in a wide variety of fields [8,10]. Research has escalated in electrospinning of biopolymers, their hybrids and derivatives, for various applications because of their unique properties such as renewability, biodegradability and their abundant availability [7,11]. Generally, biopolymers are defined as polymeric biomolecules generated by living organisms.…”

“…They are categorized according to the monomeric units that build up the complex polymeric structure, namely polynucleids (ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)), polypeptides (proteins), and polysaccharides (cellulose, and chitosan). The electrospinnability of most biopolymers is still a challenge because of numerous factors [11][12][13][14][15]. These include their rigid structure, high conductivity, high surface tension, and their gelation at fairly low concentrations.…”

Novel Natural Polymer/Medicinal Plant Extract Electrospun Nanofiber for Cosmeceutical Application

“…Such materials can be prepared by incorporating medicinal plant extract into the nanofibers of natural polymer by electrospinning technique. Electrospinning has generated great interest among scientists due to its very simple, low-cost method to produce nanofiber which has exhibited outstanding properties such as high porosity and a high specific surface area [1][2][3][4][5]. Biomaterials are of huge interest to the scientists due to their inclusive potential applications particularly in tissue engineering and drug delivery [6][7][8].…”