Effect of electrospinning parameters on the characterization of PLA/HNT nanocomposite fibers

Abstract

Halloysite nanotubes (HNT) reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) nanocomposite fibers were produced using an electrospinning approach for biomedical applications. The PLA/HNT nanocomposite fibers were characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The various factors such as type of solvent, solution concentration, HNT loading and feed rate, affecting the electrospinning process, and the morphology of the nanofibers were investigated, and the optimum values for these parameters are suggested. The results indicated that the addition of dimethylformamide (DMF) to chloroform facilitated the electrospinning process because of the improvement in electrical conductivity and viscosity of the solution. Nanometer-sized fibers were obtained by the addition of HNT to PLA. HNT loadings had a significant effect on the morphology of the nanofibers. Bead-free fibers were produced at feed rates between 1 and 4 mL/h.

Polylactic acid (PLA)/halloysite nanotube (HNT) composite mats: Influence of HNT content and modification

“…Researchers have studied different types of organic or inorganic nanofillers used in electrospinning, which comprise carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [9], nanoclays [10], HNTs [11][12][13][14][15] as well as carbon black nanoparticles [16]. In particular, dissimilar to popular platelet-like montmorillonite (MMT) clays, HNTs have been less extensively researched, which, however, show the great potential to replace CNTs with hollow tubular structures due to their unique chemical properties, abundant availability as well as costeffectiveness.…”

“…HNTs are a typical aluminosilicate in the kaolinite family [17]. The diameter of HNTs can be ranging from 100 to 300 nm with an approximate length of 1-3 µm [15]. Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is a widely used biopolymer that is synthesised by the condensation of lactic acid or through ring opening polymerisation of lactide as the diester of lactic acid [18].…”

“…Furthermore, the incorporation of nanofillers such as HNTs can compensate for typical drawbacks of PLA like poor barrier properties, low thermal stability and limited toughness [24]. The other noteworthy point is that in PLA/HNT nanocomposite system, HNTs are capable of resisting the harmful PLA degradation products to local tissues due to their hydroxide groups in the hollow tubular structure [15].…”

Nanofibers of poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-grafted halloysite nanotubes and polycaprolactone by combination of RAFT polymerization and electrospinning

“…Loading HNTs with bioactive molecules such as antimicrobial agents, proteins, DNA, and drugs and doping them into various polymers allows their controlled sustained release [34]. Touny et al studied the effect of electrospinning parameters on the characterization of polylactic acid/HNTs nanocomposite nanofibers [35]. Xue et al developed guided tissue or bone regeneration membranes by electrospinning of drug-loaded HNTs doped into poly(caprolactone) (PCL) or gelatin microfibers [36].…”

Electrospun PLA: PCL composites embedded with unmodified and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (ASP) modified halloysite nanotubes (HNT)

“…HNT with good biocompatibility [11] are tubular in shape and are 300-1500 nm in length, 40-120 nm in outer diameter, and 15-100 nm in inner diameter. It has been lately reported that the incorporation of HNT within a PLA polymer matrix can counteract the negative effects of the acidic degradation of PLA based products in the presence of hydroxide groups, as presented in the HNT structure [12]. This paper investigated the experimental characterization of electrospun PLA: PCL/HNT composites in a novel material system, which consists of high molecular weight PCL and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (ASP) as a surface modifier to improve the embedding effect and homogeneous HNT dispersion within electrospun nanofibers.…”