Detailed Process Analysis of Biobased Polybutylene Succinate Microfibers Produced by Laboratory-Scale Melt Electrospinning

Abstract

Melt electrospinning is widely used to manufacture fibers with diameters in the low micrometer range. Such fibers are suitable for many biomedical applications, including sutures, stents and tissue engineering. We investigated the preparation of polybutylene succinate microfibers using a single-nozzle laboratory-scale device, while varying the electric field strength, process throughput, nozzle-to-collector distance and the temperature of the polymer melt. The formation of a Taylor cone followed by continuous fiber deposition was observed for all process parameters, but whipping behavior was enhanced when the electric field strength was increased from 50 to 60 kV. The narrowest fibers (30.05 µm) were produced using the following parameters: electric field strength 60 kV, melt temperature 235 °C, throughput 0.1 mL/min and nozzle-to-collector distance 10 cm. Statistical analysis confirmed that the electric field strength was the most important parameter controlling the average fiber diameter. We therefore report the first production of melt-electrospun polybutylene succinate fibers in the low micrometer range using a laboratory-scale device. This offers an economical and environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional solution electrospinning for the preparation of safe fibers in the micrometer range suitable for biomedical applications.

Curcumin and Silver Doping Enhance the Spinnability and Antibacterial Activity of Melt-Electrospun Polybutylene Succinate Fibers

“…A second peak at ~110 • C corresponds to the melting point reported by the manufacturer. The DSC thermogram of curcumin featured a single melting peak at 175 • C. The observed values are in agreement with the previously reported values [17]. The DSC thermogram of silver extract indicated a melting range rather than a clear melting point, which does not belong to the silver particle, but may reflect removal of water present in the extract and the high polydispersity of the organic components present within the silver nanoparticles and the presence of a wide range of particle sizes.…”

“…We also observed a broadening of the melting peak as the curcumin concentration increased, which may also be caused by the presence of crystals over a range of different sizes. PBS and all its compounds featured another small melting peak at ~50 • C, which as stated above may indicate the presence of a plasticizer introduced during the manufacture of PBS pellets [17]. The DSC thermogram of PBS and its compounds showed a recrystallization peak at ~107 • C (Trc).…”

“…We previously reported the first melt-electrospun PBS fibers in the low micrometer range prepared using a laboratory-scale device [17]. The minimum fiber diameter was 30.05 µm, significantly thinner than fibers produced under similar conditions using other biopolymers such as polylactic acid [4].…”

Bamboo Charcoal/Poly(L-lactide) Fiber Webs Prepared Using Laser-Heated Melt Electrospinning

“…Compared with other methods, electrospinning, which can be broadly divided into solution electrospinning and melt electrospinning, is commonly considered to be one of the most economically and technically efficient approaches to obtain ultrafine fibers [ 5 , 10 ]. Solution electrospinning was developed rapidly from a single-fluid blending processes [ 11 ] to coaxial [ 12 ], side by side [ 13 ], tri-axial [ 14 ], and other complex processes [ 15 ]; however, the high toxicity of organic solvent used in the solution electrospinning for preparation of working fluid is incompatible with the in vivo biomedical applications [ 16 ]. Thus, besides convenience and simplicity, energy saving [ 17 ] and environmental friendliness [ 18 ] are always desired for developing new electrospinning processes.…”

Preparations and Properties of Ionic Liquid-Assisted Electrospun Biodegradable Polymer Fibers

“…This is because cellulose is one of the most abundant biodegradable polymers on the earth. [12,30] Petroleum-based Collagen [19] Polybutylene succinate PBS [31] Ethyl cellulose [32] Polycaprolactone PCL [4] Gelatin [33] Polyvinyl alcohol PVA [34,35] Heparin [13] Silk [19,36,37] Natural waste Starch [34] Polylactic acid PLA [3,29,38,39] Recently, chitin, the second most abundant natural polymer after cellulose [1,29] has also been employed for the preparation of electrospun fibers. In addition, cellulose and chitin derivatives, such as cellulose acetate [24][25][26] and chitosan [12,30] were employed to prepare electrospun fibers.…”