The Effect of Essential Oil on Fiber Morphology and Surface Properties in Coaxial Nanofibers

Abstract

In this study, core-shell nanofibers were produced by using hydrophilic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer in the core and hydrophobic poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) polymer in the shell. Essential oil added nanofiber structures were developed by adding thyme oil (TEO) and borage oil (BO) in the PVP core part by using Triton X 100 (TX-100) as the surfactant. 8% PVP-8% PCL nanofibers were produced by adding TEO, BO and a 1:1 volume/volume mixture of these two (TEO:BO) to the PVP solution. Addition of essential oil and surfactant to the solutions resulted in different conductivity and viscosity values. SEM images were analyzed and it was observed that nanofiber diameters increased when essential oil and surfactant were added to the core of the coaxial nanofibers. Pristine, TEO-added, TEO:BO added and BO-added nanofibers were calculated as 145 ± 66, 233 ± 150, 245 ± 165 and 300 ± 124 nm, respectively. Besides, water contact angle measurements showed that TX-100 and essential oil additives caused high hydrophilization of nanofiber by changing the hydrophobic nature of PCL. While the contact angle of the 8% PVP-8% PCL sample without additives were 98°, the contact angle of the oil and surfactant containing samples were measured as 0°. In conclusion, it was observed that the nanofiber morphology and surface properties changed when different essential oils and surfactant were added to the core-shell nanofibers.