Effect of Thermoplastic Starch and Photocrosslinking on the Properties and Morphology of Electrospun Poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) Mats

Abstract

Nonwoven fibrous mats of poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) and thermoplastic starch (TPS) blends were successfully prepared through the electrospinning technique using a mixed solvent system of isopropyl alcohol and water. The influence of TPS on the morphology and structure of the fibrous mats was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The addition of TPS to EVOH resulted in beaded electrospun fibers. The SEM images revealed decreasing average width of the blend fibers and increasing quantity of beads with an increased TPS content. EVOH/TPS fibers mats irradiated under ultraviolet light using sodium benzoate as a photosensitizer were also prepared. The size and number of beads were diminished in the photocrosslinked EVOH/TPS fiber mats. The as‐spun and crosslinked EVOH/TPS fiber mats exhibit a superior fluid uptake ability (with 20 wt% of TPS) and superior barrier properties (with 20 and 40 wt% of TPS) in comparison to those observed in neat electrospun EVOH mats. These properties are of particular interest for use in dressing materials for the medical industry and for use in multilayer plastic fuel tanks for the automotive industry, respectively. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 60:474–480, 2020. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers

Preparation and Characterization of Electrospun EVOH/Ti3C2 Composite Fibers

“…At the same time, the fluid uptake ability (FUA) of the fibrous membranes was evaluated by immersing the desired fibrous membranes in water to measure their water absorption capacity, according to the following formula [ 18 , 19 ]: where W s represents the wet weight of the fibrous membrane, W d represents the dry weight of the fibrous membrane. In this part of the experimental operation, the dry fibrous membrane was first completely immersed in water for 30 s, then removed and placed on absorbent paper for 30 s, and finally weighed, and the above steps were repeated.…”

“…However, some completely different applications are found in electrospun EVOH composite fibers, such as filtration and biomedicine [ 17 , 18 ]. Mondragón et al [ 19 ] prepared electrospun poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol(EVOH)/thermoplastic starch (TPS) blend nanofibers and found that the crosslinked EVOH/TPS fibrous membranes exhibited a superior fluid uptake ability (with 20 wt% of TPS) and superior barrier properties (with 20 and 40 wt% of TPS) for potential dressing materials in comparison to those observed in pristine electrospun EVOH fibrous membranes.…”

Characterization of Modified Mechanically Activated Cassava Starch Magnetic Porous Microspheres and Its Adsorption for Cd(II) Ions

“…When the amount of PEG/MeOH was higher than 20 wt%, the stability of the polymerization reaction system was reduced, so the pore-forming effect was weakened. The spheroidization of the adsorbent was reduced, so the adsorption sites on the surface of the AAM-MSMPM were reduced, resulting in a decrease in the adsorption capacity for Cd(II) ions [ 39 ].…”

Photocrosslinking of ethylene‐vinyl acetate (EVA)–polyethylene‐octene (POE) copolymer containing halogen‐free flame retardants

“…[ 16–18 ] A valid alternative is represented by photoinduced crosslinking (or photocrosslinking). [ 19–21 ] The principal types of photocrosslinking follow a cationic or a radical mechanism. [ 22–25 ] In particular, radical photocrosslinking consists in the absorption of light by a photoinitiator which generates radicals upon bond cleavage (type I photoinitiators) or by hydrogen abstraction or electron transfer to a coinitiator molecule (type II).…”