The use of organic solvents for the preparation of nanofibers are challenged due to their volatile and hazardous behavior. Recently deep eutectic solvents (DES) are widely recognized as non-volatile and non-hazardous solvents which never been utilized directly for nanofabrication via electrospinning. Here, we present the preparation of Zein nanofibers using deep eutectic solvents (DES-Zein). The DES-Zein nanofibers were produced at an optimized polymer concentration of 45% (w/w) with pH 7.3 and electroconductivity 233 mS cm−1. DES-Zein nanofibers showed aligned to tweed like cedar leaf morphology tuned by varying the spreading angle from 0° to 90°. In contrast to hydrophobic conventional Zein nanofibers, DES-Zein nanofibers showed super hydrophilic character and about 200 nm finer average diameter. The proposed method of preparing Zein nanofibers using DES opens a new door to continuous electrospinning with tunable morphology, having potential to be used for environmental and biomedical applications.

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Zein polymer is drawing intense research interest because of its nontoxicity, biodegradability, and unique structural properties. Zein-based electrospun nanofibers are prepared from an 80% ethanolic solution and are used as a nanoadsorbent material for the confiscation of reactive black 5 (RB5) dye from aqueous solutions. The electrospun nanofibers possessed an extraordinarily high capacity for RB5 uptake compared to their powder and film analogues. Zein nanofibers exhibited exceptionally efficient performance in removing RB5 after contact for only 20 min at room temperature and a normal working pH. The mechanism of dye–zein interaction was chiefly controlled via hydrophobic, electrostatic forces and hydrogen bond interactions. Experimental data followed a pseudo-second-order model, and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm was the most appropriate mechanism governing RB5 adsorption. The dye-loaded zein nanofibers were directly re-electrospun to achieve a recyclable and green adsorbent, preventing the consumption of toxic and expensive reagents for elution of RB5.

AbstractNovel solvents named deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been intensively investigated in recent years. Their non-toxicity, biodegradability, low volatility, easy preparation and low cost make them promising green solvents for several industrial processes. This article provides a status review of the possible applications of DESs in natural gas (NG) sweetening by carbon dioxide (CO

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