Effects of Solvent Type and Process Parameters on Electrospinnability of Zein through Orthogonal Experimental Design

Abstract

Electrospinning of zein from its solution with a non-toxic solvent is not easy. It certainly requires understanding the effects of critical parameters during electrospinning. In this paper, the first aim was to understand how the morphology and diameters of fibers produced from zein solutions were affected by solvent type used in solution and process parameters (flow-rate, voltage, and distance) by using Taguchi's orthogonal design. For this purpose, the optimum levels of factors were determined as follows: 12 kV of voltage, 15 µL/min of flow rate, 10 cm of distance, and acetic acid as solvent in order to obtain the thinnest, bead-free nanofiber. Secondly, this combination was further validated by conducting a confirmatory experiment using five different zein concentrations to study the effect of concentration. The mean diameters of fibers with 24 % zein concentrations were found as similar to the optimum conditions estimated, proving the applicability of Taguchi's method for electrospinning optimization.

Nanoencapsulation of carotenoids extracted from tomato peels into zein fibers by electrospinning

“…Fibers were then collected on a stainless steel collector plate covered with aluminum foil. The electrospinning process was carried out by using the following conditions decided in the previous optimization studies: 12 kV of applied voltage, 15 µL min −1 of solution flow rate, 10 cm of distance between the needle tip to the collector. The fiber mats produced were kept at −70 °C until they were used for characterization analysis.…”

Encapsulation of tomato peel extract into nanofibers and its application in model food

“…For production of TPE‐loaded gelatin fibers, the gelatin‐based solution was prepared by dissolving the dried extract (30 wt%—based on the weight of gelatin) and powder gelatin (24% wt/wt) in aqueous acetic acid (20%, v/v) under constant stirring at 40°C for about 2 hr. For production of TPE‐loaded zein fibers, the zein‐based solution was prepared by dissolving the dried extract (30 wt%—based on the weight of zein) and powder zein (24% wt/wt) in pure acetic acid under constant stirring at room temperature for about an hour (24 ± 2°C) (İnanç Horuz & Belibağlı, , ).…”

“…The syringe within the polymer solution was positioned horizontally on the pump of the Nanotel (NTEE 80–1) electrospinning device. The process was performed at room temperature (24 ± 2°C) using the following conditions determined in the precedent works (İnanç Horuz & Belibağlı, , ): 18 kV of applied voltage, 15 µl/min of solution flow rate, 12.5 cm of distance between the tip of the needle to the collector; and 12 kV of applied voltage, 15 µl/min of solution flow rate, 10 cm of distance between the tip of the needle to the collector for gelatin and zein fibers production, respectively. The produced fibers were accumulated on a plate metal collector (24 × 24 cm) covered with aluminum foil for about 5 hr.…”

Multi-response Optimization of End Milling Parameters for Al-Zn-Mg/SiC Co-continuous Composite Using Response Surface Methodology

“…On the other hand, analyzing a limited set of statistically fitting data can yield reliable results. Therefore, DOE techniques such as Taguchi methods, response surface design and factorial design are widely applied in order to overcome the limitations of onefactor approach [10,11]. To determine the most effective machining conditions, literature indicates that an extensive study of machining parameters and their responses is essential.…”