Effect of Solution Properties in the Development of Cellulose Derivative Nanostructures Processed via Electrospinning

Abstract

In the last few years, electrospinning has proved to be one of the best methods for obtaining membranes of a micro and nanometric fiber size. This method mainly consists in the spinning of a polymeric or biopolymeric solution in solvents, promoted by the difference in the electric field between the needle and collector, which is finally deposited as a conjunction of randomly oriented fibers. The present work focuses on using cellulose derivatives (namely cellulose acetate and ethylcellulose), based on the revaluation of these byproducts and waste products of biorefinery, to produce nanostructured nanofiber through electrospinning with the objective of establishing a relation between the initial solutions and the nanostructures obtained. In this sense, a complete characterization of the biopolymeric solutions (physicochemical and rheological properties) and the resulting nanostructures (microstructural and thermal properties) was carried out. Therefore, solutions with different concentrations (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%) of the two cellulose derivatives and different solvents with several proportions between them were used to establish their influence on the properties of the resulting nanostructures. The results show that the solutions with 10 wt% in acetic acid/H2O and 15 wt% in acetone/N,N-dimethylformamide of cellulose acetate and 5 wt% of ethylcellulose in acetone/N,N-dimethylformamide, exhibited the best properties, both in the solution and nanostructure state.

Exploring Cellulose Triacetate Nanofibers as Sustainable Structuring Agent for Castor Oil: Formulation Design and Rheological Insights

“…The electrical conductivity started to increase with CTA concentration for the systems prepared at 1.5 and 2 wt.%, and for the rest of the prepared solutions it gradually decreased with increasing concentration. This decrease is in agreement with previous studies performed by other authors, such as Sanchez-Cid et al [28], where they investigated the influence of the solution properties on the electrospinning process of different…”

“…The electrical conductivity started to increase with CTA concentration for the systems prepared at 1.5 and 2 wt.%, and for the rest of the prepared solutions it gradually decreased with increasing concentration. This decrease is in agreement with previous studies performed by other authors, such as Sanchez-Cid et al [28], where they investigated the influence of the solution properties on the electrospinning process of different cellulose derivatives. The decrease can be attributed to a lower mobility of the entangled macromolecules at high concentrations of biopolymers because they present concentrations above the overlapping concentration [22,29].…”

Fabrication of Cellulose Acetate-Based Proton Exchange Membrane with Sulfonated SiO2 and Plasticizers for Microbial Fuel Cell Applications

“…Pure cellulose acetate (CA) and the CA composite membranes incorporated with glycerol, SiO 2 , and sulfonated SiO 2 were prepared using a solution-casting technique. For preparing a pristine CA membrane, 15% w / v of CA was dissolved in an acetone and DMF mixture (2:1) and the solution was kept under magnetic stirring for 24 h [ 34 ]. Then, the obtained homogenous solution was cast on a clean, dry glass plate using a 300 µm casting knife.…”

Nanofiber Scaffold Based on Polylactic Acid-Polycaprolactone for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

“…Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and degradation time of a PLA-PCL fiber scaffold with a variety of compositions obtained via electrospinning and then manually braiding. It is important to note that the electrospinning method is known as the best method to fabricate micro membranes as well as a nanometric fiber size [ 14 ]. Electrospinning mainly involves the spinning process of a polymeric or biopolymeric solution forming a conjunction of randomly oriented fibers [ 14 ].…”

“…It is important to note that the electrospinning method is known as the best method to fabricate micro membranes as well as a nanometric fiber size [ 14 ]. Electrospinning mainly involves the spinning process of a polymeric or biopolymeric solution forming a conjunction of randomly oriented fibers [ 14 ]. Our study offers a new pathway to obtaining a new combination of polymers, and it is hoped that an innovative product can be developed as a candidate material for ACL reconstruction with favorable mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and degradation time.…”