Preparation and Performance of Ultra-Fine Polypropylene Antibacterial Fibers via Melt Electrospinning

Abstract

Polypropylene (PP) fibers are employed commonly as the raw material of technical textiles (nonwovens), and the research focuses on fine-denier fibers and their functionalities. In this work, antibacterial PP masterbatches with different dosage (1–5 wt.%) of nano-ZnO particles as the antibacterial agent were prepared via a twin-screw extruder. The as-prepared PP masterbatches were electrospun on a home-made electrospinning device to afford ultra-fine PP fibers. The morphologies of as-spun ultrathin PP fibers with 16 μm of average diameter were observed by SEM. The structure and element distribution were characterized by means of energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier-transfer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. There was some zinc obviously distributed on the surface when a dosage of ZnO more than 1 wt.% was used, which contributed to the antibacterial activity. The crystallinity of PP fibers was not affected strongly by the dosage of ZnO based on the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) heating curves, while thermal decomposition improved with the increase in ZnO content, and the mechanical strength decreased predictably with the increase in inorganic ZnO content.

Nonwoven Materials Produced by Melt Electrospinning of Polypropylene Filled with Calcium Carbonate

“…In addition, all typical calcium carbonate reflections are observed on X-ray patterns of nonwoven composite materials, the intensity of which increases as the content of filler increases. The study of samples by IR spectroscopy revealed (Figure 6a), that the spectra of all the samples contain antisymmetric and symmetric stretching vibrations of C-H in methyl (2953 and 2872 cm −1 , respectively) and methylene (2919 and 2840 cm −1 , respectively) groups; bending vibrations of C-H in methyl groups: antisymmetric (1450 cm −1 ) and symmetric (1378 cm −1 ); bending vibrations of C-H bonds in methylene groups: scissoring (1457 cm −1 ) and wagging (1304 cm −1 ) [7,8]. Bands 1219, 1167, 1101, 998, 973, 941, 899, 841, and 808 cm −1 in isotactic polypropylene are called crystallinity bands and belong to isotactic chains of various lengths [42].…”

“…Polypropylene is a commodity polymer that combines a number of useful properties, i.e., low density, low moisture absorption, mechanical strength, high chemical resistance, and low cost. Fibers and nonwovens based on polypropylene are of considerable practical interest, e.g., in the fields of filtration [ 1 , 2 , 3 ], oil sorption and oil–water separation [ 4 ], protective coatings [ 5 ] and sensors [ 6 ], as well as in medicine and tissue engineering [ 7 , 8 ]. The average diameter of fibers in these materials depends on the production parameters and can vary from a few to dozens of micrometers.…”

“…In this regard, there are a few works devoted to electrospinning from polypropylene solutions: it is reported that nonwovens were produced from solutions in decalin [ 9 ] or from mixtures of solvents based on decalin [ 10 ] and cyclohexane [ 11 ], while heating the solution to 70–130 °C was required to dissolve the polymer. On the other hand, it is possible to produce fibrous polypropylene materials from the melt by electrospinning [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], melt-blowing [ 1 , 15 ], centrifugal spinning [ 16 ] or by combining several of these methods [ 17 ]. Moreover, nonwovens can be produced, not only from polypropylene homopolymers, but also from its copolymers [ 18 ] and blends with other polymers [ 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

The Effect of Dye and Pigment Concentrations on the Diameter of Melt-Electrospun Polylactic Acid Fibers

“…Multiple studies have been carried out to improve melt electrospinning technology and thus overcome the limitations caused by the high temperature, high viscosity and/or low conductivity of the polymer melt, with the aim of reducing the fiber diameter [ 22 ]. Microfibers and sub-microfibers have been produced from several polymers (including polyethylene, PP and PLA) using single-fiber melt electrospinning devices and other configurations [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Narrower fibers can be produced by integrating a gas stream [ 30 ] or by including additives that increase conductivity and or reduce viscosity [ 18 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”

Single-Side Superhydrophobicity in Si3N4-Doped and SiO2-Treated Polypropylene Nonwoven Webs with Antibacterial Activity

“…The obtained antibacterial activity is also lasting. Limited by high-temperature MB processing, inorganic nanometals or metal oxides are generally used as antibacterial agents [ 29 , 30 , 31 ], and the silver compounds have especially been proved to be very effective. However, the potential hepatotoxicity of silver is still a concern, and its long-term effects on mammalian cells remain unclear [ 32 , 33 ].…”