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Electrospinning of Biopolymer Nanofibers

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2020) | Viewed by 18118

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Prof. Dr. Andrea Ehrmann

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Faculty of Engineering and Mathematics, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Interaktion 1, 33619 Bielefeld, Germany
Interests: biopolymers; electrospinning; magnetism; spintronics; optics; dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs); smart textiles
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Dear Colleagues,

Electrospinning is a versatile technique to produce nanofibers from diverse polymers. Especially biopolymers are often dissolvable in water and can thus be electrospun in an eco-friendly way. These materials, however, need a crosslinking after-treatment to receive the desired amount of water-resistance. On the other hand, water-resistant polymers can be blended with water-soluble biopolymers, in this way modifying the nanofiber morphology or adding the intrinsic functionalities of the latter, such as antibacterial or fungicide properties. Other biopolymers are intrinsically water-stable and thus do not need crosslinking or blending for most applications.

This special issue focusses on electrospinning of biopolymers, either solely or blended with other biopolymers or man-made polymers. It covers the full range from basic research on electrospinnability with different techniques (needle, wire, cylinder etc.) to “green” crosslinking routes to possible applications and methods of upscaling nanofiber production from laboratory to industry scale.

Prof. Dr. Andrea Ehrmann
Guest Editor

Keywords

biopolymer nanofibers
electrospun biopolymer blends
intrinsic properties of electrospun biopolymers
nanofibers for tissue engineering
bio-medical applications of biopolymer nanofibers
green electrospinning
crosslinking electrospun biopolymers with non-toxic substances

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16 pages, 5841 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Electron-Beam Irradiation of the PLLA/CMS/β-TCP Composite Nanofibers Obtained by Electrospinning

by Mohd Reusmaazran Yusof, Roslinda Shamsudin, Sarani Zakaria, Muhammad Azmi Abdul Hamid, Fatma Yalcinkaya, Yusof Abdullah and Norzita Yacob

Polymers 2020, 12(7), 1593; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12071593 - 17 Jul 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3065

Abstract

Nanofibrous materials produced by electrospinning processes have potential advantages in tissue engineering because of their biocompatibility, biodegradability, biomimetic architecture, and excellent mechanical properties. The aim of the current work is to study the influence of the electron beam on the poly L-lactide acid/ carboxy-methyl starch/β-tricalcium phosphate (PLLA/CMS/β-TCP) composite nanofibers for potential applications as bone-tissue scaffolds. The composite nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning in the combination of 5% v/v carboxy-methyl starch (CMS) and 0.25 wt% of β-TCP with the PLLA as a matrix component. The composites nanofibers were exposed under 5, 30, and 100 kGy of irradiation dose. The electron-beam irradiation showed no morphological damage to the fibers, and slight reduction in the water-contact angle and mechanical strength at the higher-irradiation doses. The chain scission was found to be a dominant effect; the higher doses of electron-beam irradiation thus increased the in vitro degradation rate of the composite nanofibers. The chemical interaction due to irradiation was indicated by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum and thermal behavior was investigated by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The results showed that the electron-beam-induced poly L-lactide acid/carboxy-methyl starch/β-tricalcium phosphate (PLLA/CMS/β-TCP) composite nanofibers may have great potential for bone-tissue engineering. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrospinning of Biopolymer Nanofibers)

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16 pages, 4851 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Well-Blended PCL/PEO Electrospun Nanofibers with Functional Properties Enhanced by Plasma Processing

by Vojtěch Kupka, Eva Dvořáková, Anton Manakhov, Miroslav Michlíček, Josef Petruš, Lucy Vojtová and Lenka Zajíčková

Polymers 2020, 12(6), 1403; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12061403 - 22 Jun 2020

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 6334

Abstract

Biodegradable composite nanofibers were electrospun from poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) mixtures dissolved in acetic and formic acids. The variation of PCL:PEO concentration in the polymer blend, from 5:95 to 75:25, revealed the tunability of the hydrolytic stability and mechanical properties of the nanofibrous mats. The degradation rate of PCL/PEO nanofibers can be increased compared to pure PCL, and the mechanical properties can be improved compared to pure PEO. Although PCL and PEO have been previously reported as immiscible, the electrospinning into nanofibers having restricted dimensions (250–450 nm) led to a microscopically mixed PCL/PEO blend. However, the hydrolytic stability and tensile tests revealed the segregation of PCL into few-nanometers-thin fibrils in the PEO matrix of each nanofiber. A synergy phenomenon of increased stiffness appeared for the high concentration of PCL in PCL/PEO nanofibrous mats. The pure PCL and PEO mats had a Young’s modulus of about 12 MPa, but the mats made of high concentration PCL in PCL/PEO solution exhibited 2.5-fold higher values. The increase in the PEO content led to faster degradation of mats in water and up to a 20-fold decrease in the nanofibers’ ductility. The surface of the PCL/PEO nanofibers was functionalized by an amine plasma polymer thin film that is known to increase the hydrophilicity and attach proteins efficiently to the surface. The combination of different PCL/PEO blends and amine plasma polymer coating enabled us to tune the surface functionality, the hydrolytic stability, and the mechanical properties of biodegradable nanofibrous mats. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrospinning of Biopolymer Nanofibers)

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11 pages, 4048 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electrospun Eco-Friendly Materials Based on Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and TiO₂ with Antifungal Activity Prospective for Esca Treatment

by Mariya Spasova, Olya Stoilova, Nevena Manolova, Iliya Rashkov and Mladen Naydenov

Polymers 2020, 12(6), 1384; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12061384 - 20 Jun 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2718

Abstract

Esca is a type of grapevine trunk disease that severely affects vine yield and longevity. Phaeomoniella chlamydospora (P. chlamydospora) is one of the main fungi associated with esca. The aim of the present study was to obtain eco-friendly materials with potential antifungal activity against P. chlamydospora based on biodegradable and biocompatible poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), nanosized TiO₂-anatase (nanoTiO₂), and chitosan oligomers (COS) by conjunction of electrospinning and electrospraying. One-pot electrospinning of a suspension of nanosized TiO₂ nanoparticles in PHB solution resulted in materials in which TiO₂ was incorporated within the fibers (design type “in”). Simultaneous electrospinning of PHB solution and electrospraying of the dispersion of nanosized TiO₂ in COS solution enabled the preparation of materials consisting of PHB fibers on which TiO₂ was deposited on the fibers’ surface (design type “on”). Several methods including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) and water contact angle were utilized to characterize the obtained materials. The incorporation of nanoTiO₂ in the PHB fibers, as well as nanoTiO₂ deposition onto the surface of the PHB fibers resulted in increased roughness and hydrophobicity of the obtained composite fibrous materials. Moreover, TiO₂-on-PHB fibrous material exhibited complete inhibition of fungal growth of P. chlamydospora. Therefore, the obtained eco-friendly fibrous materials based on PHB and nanoTiO₂ are promising candidates for protection against esca in agriculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrospinning of Biopolymer Nanofibers)

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13 pages, 53941 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electrospinning of Cellulose Nanocrystal-Reinforced Polyurethane Fibrous Mats

by Alexandre Redondo, Daseul Jang, LaShanda T. J. Korley, Ilja Gunkel and Ullrich Steiner

Polymers 2020, 12(5), 1021; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12051021 - 1 May 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4607

Abstract

We report the electrospinning of mechanically-tunable, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-reinforced polyurethanes (PUs). Using high-aspect ratio CNCs from tunicates, the stiffness and strength of electrospun PU/CNC mats are shown to generally increase. Furthermore, by tuning the electrospinning conditions, fibrous PU/CNC mats were created with either aligned or non-aligned fibers, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. PU/CNC mats having fibers aligned in the strain direction were stiffer and stronger compared to mats containing non-aligned fibers. Interestingly, fiber alignment was accompanied by an anisotropic orientation of the CNCs, as confirmed by wide-angle X-ray scattering, implying their alignment additionally benefits both stiffness and strength of fibrous PU/CNC nanocomposite mats. These findings suggest that CNC alignment could serve as an additional reinforcement mechanism in the design of stronger fibrous nanocomposite mats. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrospinning of Biopolymer Nanofibers)

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