Using chitosan as a thickener for electrospinning dilute PVA solutions to improve fibre uniformity
journal contribution
posted on 2006-08-14, 00:00authored byTong Lin, Jian Fang, Hong Wang, T Cheng, Xungai Wang
Chitosan was added to PVA aqueous solutions as a thickener to improve the electrospinning process. The presence of a small amount of chitosan considerably improved the uniformity of as-spun nanofibres. This improvement is attributed to its significant effect on the solution viscosity and conductivity, with only a slight impact on the surface tension. The concentration of the PVA required to produce bead-free and uniform nanofibres was reduced with the increase in chitosan concentration. The chitosan thickener suppressed the jet break-up and facilitated the jet stretching so that fine and uniform fibres could be electrospun even from a dilute PVA solution.
History
Journal
Nanotechnology
Volume
17
Pagination
3718 - 3723
Location
Bristol, England
ISSN
0957-4484
eISSN
1361-6528
Language
eng
Notes
Reproduced with the specific permission of the copyright owner.