Role of rheology on the formation of Nanofibers from pectin and polyethylene oxide blends

Abstract

Characterizing the parameters critical to the prediction of a successful electrospinning process from solution properties is essential, yet, not easy in the case of biopolymers. In this study, we attempted to present a broad perspective by simultaneously evaluating the effect of eight different parameters, namely zero shear viscosity, tip viscosity, elastic modulus, phase angle, cohesive energy, pH, conductivity, and surface tension, on the formation of smooth pectin nanofibers. Our results showed that (1) the viscosity of the solution is not an indication of jet formation, but once the jet is formed, high zero shear viscosity and high tip viscosity are required to maintain a dominant whipping instability for smooth nanofiber formation and (2) while evaluating the elasticity of the spinning solutions, comparing only the elastic modulus values would be misleading, since low phase angle values are also necessary for pectin solutions to be electrospun into nonbeaded fibers. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48294.

Preparation and Characterization of Electrospun Pectin-Based Films and Their Application in Sustainable Aroma Barrier Multilayer Packaging

“…In order to increase the viscoelasticity of pectin, different quantities of PEO 2000 from 0.1 to 1.0 wt% were added to the pectin solutions for electrospinning, the here so-called S1 to S4. The addition of PEO can help reducing the repulsive forces among negatively charged pectin chains, enhancing chain entanglement and fiber formation [45]. The primary intention was to keep the PEO 2000 content at a minimum value in order to produce electrospun fibers with the highest content of pectin.…”

“…However, aqueous solutions of neat pectin cannot be electrospun due to the limited viscoelasticity of pectin and its insufficient chain entanglements [37][38][39]. As a result, electrospun pectin nanofibers have been only obtained by blending with different synthetic polymers such as polyethylene oxide (PEO) [39][40][41][42][43][44][45], polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) [46][47][48], and pullulan [38]. In addition, ternary blends of alginate/pectin/PEO [49] and chitosan/pectin/PVOH [50] have been recently successfully electrospun for biomedical purposes.…”

Multistage-Split Ultrafine Fluffy Nanofibrous Membrane for High-Efficiency Antibacterial Air Filtration

“…By changing the number or type of groups, the binding energy is easily adjusted . PA6, PVP, PEO, and their mixtures are used to explore the influence of different binding energies on the fiber splitting in electrospinning because they all have compatible groups forming hydrogen bonds. ,, PA6 has N–H and CO groups, as shown in Figure S1a; N–H groups are the donors, whereas CO groups are the acceptors of hydrogen bonds. PVP has only CO groups, which are the acceptors of hydrogen bonds, as shown in Figure S1b.…”

Multifunctional Nanofibrous Dressing with Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Properties Prepared by Needle-Free Electrospinning

“…In addition, the surface tension and conductivity play an important role in Taylor cone formation and fiber elongation [ 39 ]. The influence of the solutions properties on the needle-spinning process has been widely studied [ 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. However, the solutions optimal features when using the Nanospider TM system might be different.…”