Electrospinning of PCL-Based Blends: Processing Optimization for Their Scalable Production

Abstract

In this work poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) based electrospun mats were prepared by blending PCL with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). The electrospinning processing parameters were firstly optimized with the aim to obtain scalable PCL-based electrospun mats to be used in the industrial sector. Neat PCL as well as PCL-MCC and PCL-PHB based mats in different proportions (99:1; 95:5; 90:10) were prepared. A complete morphological, thermal and mechanical characterization of the developed materials was carried out. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations showed that the addition of PHB to the PCL matrix considerably reduced the formation of beads. Both the addition of MCC and PHB reduced the thermal stability of PCL, but obtained materials with enough thermal stability for the intended use. The electrospun PCL fibers show greatly reduced flexibility with respect to the PCL bulk material, however when PCL is blended with PHB their stretchability is increased, changing their elongation at break from 35% to 70% when 10 wt% of PHB is blended with PCL. However, the mechanical response of the different blends increases with respect to the neat electrospun PCL, offering the possibility to modulate their properties according to the required industrial applications.

PLA Electrospun Fibers Reinforced with Organic and Inorganic Nanoparticles: A Comparative Study

“…In particular, PLA shows good stiffness and strength and can be easily processed into different forms such as films, fibers and nanocomposite bulk materials [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. However, its brittleness has to be improved by blending or copolymerizing it with more elastic polymers such as poly(ε-caprolactone), PCL [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

“…The versatility of this technique makes it possible to easily obtain woven non-woven electrospun fibers, e-fibers, that can be used in many fields such as biomedicine, food packaging and agriculture, among others [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Moreover, once a good suspension of nanoparticles, NPs, has been obtained, they can be dispersed into the polymeric solution and then processed by electrospinning, resulting in nanoreinforced electrospun fiber mats, which possess improved properties with respect to neat PLA e-fibers [ 8 , 13 , 19 ]. The main aim of our work is the reinforcement of the PLA matrix using both organic and inorganic NPs.…”

In Vitro Degradation of Plasticized PLA Electrospun Fiber Mats: Morphological, Thermal and Crystalline Evolution

“…Electrospinning makes it possible to obtain randomly or oriented fibers at the micron/nano-scale, with large surface areas and high porosity, with applications in the food packaging [ 6 , 7 , 8 ], tissue engineering [ 9 ], smart textile [ 10 ], energy [ 11 ], and air filtration [ 12 ], or high–performance engineering fields [ 8 , 13 ]. Thanks to its versatility, its low cost and its potential scalability to the industrial level [ 14 ], electrospinning has been consolidated as a suitable way to obtain advanced polymeric fibers.…”

Bilayer films of poly(ε‐caprolactone) electrosprayed with gum rosin microspheres: Processing and characterization

“…Moreover, it is observed that for flow rates of 1, 5 and 10 μL/min, an increase in the voltage produces an increase in the production of defects such as beads (Figure 1(D)–(L)). This is explained because the increment in the electrical forces destabilized the jet 20,28,29 . In brief, the experiments that allow the production of GR microspheres using DCM as solvent are a, b, c, d, e, g, and h.…”

“…Poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) has been proven to work well with gum rosin, as both materials are biocompatible, biodegradable, and have similar melting points (around 60°C) 19 . PCL is a semicrystalline biocompatible and biodegradable polymer with superior viscoelastic performance with interest in several industrial applications such as food packaging or biomedical devices 20 …”