Investigating the Impact of Polyvinyl Alcohol Addition on the Thermal Behavior and Chemical Structure of Electrospun Cellulose Nanofibers

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the effect of adding polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on the chemical and thermal properties of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). The CNF was prepared using electrospinning with varying amounts of PVA, and the resulting samples were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The FTIR results showed that adding PVA did not significantly affect the chemical structure of CNF but led to the appearance of new peaks attributed to the characteristic peaks of both CNF and PVA. Moreover, the TGA results revealed that all samples underwent weight degradation after being heated from 350°C. The addition and removal of PVA did not significantly alter the thermal behavior of the CNF. Overall, the results suggested that PVA can be used as a compatible additive to CNF without significant changes to their properties, which could have potential applications in various fields, including biodegradable packaging and drug delivery systems.