Preparation and characterization of electrospun human hair keratin / poly (ethylene oxide) composite nanofibers

Abstract

Keratin, as one of the most abundant proteins, has been widely used for bio-related applications due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, keratin was extracted from human hair by sulphitolysis extraction method and then blended with poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) at different proportions. The keratin/PEO mixture was dissolved in distilled water, and finally electrospun into composite nanofibers. The viscosity of keratin/PEO solution reduced with the increase of keratin mixture ratio. The viscosities of the solutions at mixture ratios of 30/70 and 40/60 keratin/PEO showed flow curves comparable with that of 6 and 4wt% pure PEO solutions, respectively. The morphology, structure, and thermal property of the composite nanofibers were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), respectively. SEM analysis revealed that the morphologies of nanofibers were determined by the keratin content of keratin/PEO blend. Bead-free nanofibers could be found when the mixture ratio of keratin was below 70 wt% in the blend. FTIR analysis indicated that electrospinning process induced structural modifications in both the crystalline microstructure of pure PEO and keratin chains with a planar conformation with respect to the helical conformation. Thermal behavior of the keratin/PEO composite nanofibers showed that a high draw occurred in the electrospinning process causing the protein chains a less complex super-molecular reorganization that denatured at lower temperatures. The keratin/PEO composite nanofibers has potential for biomaterials such as cell culture substrate.

Electrospun functionalized polyacrylonitrile–chitosan Bi-layer membranes for water filtration applications

“…The rapid evaporation of the solvent from the jet accompanied by the rapid structure formation, which occurs within milliseconds ($50 ms), leads to formation of structural modication in molecular arrangement and crystalline structure of the polymer. [41][42][43] Major peak shis were observed in electrospun membranes containing the chitosan layer (Fig. 5f and g).…”

“…2f). [41][42][43] Major peak shis were observed in electrospun membranes containing the chitosan layer ( Fig. 5b), characteristic peaks of carbonyl stretching of the secondary amide band (amide I) and the N-H bending of the primary amino groups were observed at 1654 cm À1 and 1590 cm À1 , respectively.…”

Keratin protein nanofibers from merino wool yarn: a top-down approach for the disintegration of hierarchical wool architecture to extract α-keratin protein nanofibers

“…Additionally, many researchers have reported the preparation of keratin nanober composites, where the assembly of nanober architecture in the composite was performed through electrospinning or wet spinning of a keratin protein containing solution extracted from a natural source. [26][27][28][29][30][31][32] Although these methods are efficient, they pose challenges, such as decrosslinking and disentanglement of protein molecules, necessitating regeneration.…”

Fabrication of Wet-Spun Wool Keratin/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hybrid Fibers: Effects of Keratin Concentration and Flow Rate

“…Keratin is relatively water-insoluble; therefore, it is usually mixed with other polymers to produce fibers. Keratin fibers blended with poly­(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), , polyamide­(lactic acid) (PLA), poly­(ethylene oxide), − poly­(ε-caprolactone), poly­(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), chitosan, gelatin, and hydroxypropyl cellulose have been produced mostly by using electrospinning techniques. However, electrospinning is a preferred method for fabricating membranes of fibrous mesh rather than nanofibers.…”