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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Bioproducts Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #325365
Research Project: Bioproducts from Agricultural Feedstocks

Location: Bioproducts Research

Title: Solution blow spinning: parameters optimization and effects on the properties of nanofibers from poly(lactic) acid/dimethyl carbonate solutions

Author
item PARIZE, DELINE - Universidade Federal De Sao Carlos
item FOSCHINI, MILENE - Embrapa
item OLIVEIRA, JULIANO - Universidade Federal De Lavras
item Klamczynski, Artur
item Glenn, Gregory - Greg
item MARCONCINI, JOSE - Embrapa
item MATTOSO, LUIZ - Embrapa

Submitted to: Journal of Materials Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/22/2016
Publication Date: 2/3/2016
Citation: Parize, D.D., Foschini, M.M., Oliveira, J.E., Klamczynski, A., Glenn, G.M., Marconcini, J.M., Mattoso, L.H. 2016. Solution blow spinning: parameters optimization and effects on the properties of nanofibers from poly(lactic) acid/dimethyl carbonate solutions. Journal of Materials Science. 51(9):4627-4638.

Interpretive Summary: Nanofiber production using the ARS patented solution blowing process has proven to be efficient with various polymer/solvent systems. However, when new polymer/solvent systems are tested, it is imperative that the processing parameters be optimized for that particular system. Researchers at ARS along with Brazilian cooperators from EMBRAPA used an efficient experimental design to minimize the number of experiments required to optimize the processing parameters for the production of poly(lactic acid) nanofibers from polymer solutions using the solvent dimethyl carbonate. The results will aid the development and use of nanofibers in commercial products.

Technical Abstract: Solution blow spinning (SBS) is a process to produce non-woven fiber sheets with high porosity and an extremely large amount of surface area. In this study, a Box-Behnken experimental design (BBD) was used to optimize the processing parameters for the production of nanofibers from polymer solutions consisting of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) dissolved in dimethyl carbonate. In addition, a comparative study between SBS fibers and cast film was performed to verify the influence of the SBS process on the crystallinity and thermal properties of PLA. The PLA concentration in polymer solutions was the most significant parameter affecting fiber diameter. The BBD analysis revealed that small diameter fibers were best obtained by a combination of 8 % w/v PLA concentration, 80 psi air pressure, and a feed rate of 50 µL min-1. The comparative study showed that both the SBS and the film casting processes increased the PLA crystallinity. However, the PLA films had a higher degree of crystallinity compared with the fibers made by the SBS process (39 % and 17 %, respectively), which was attributed to the high shear created at the SBS nozzle inducing orientation and chain alignment. During the fiber formation, crystals formed with varied morphology including the a’-crystals, which have a less ordered structure and lower thermal stability compared to the a-crystals. The lower thermal stability of SBS fibers compared to the films can be explained by the lower degree of crystallinity and also by the higher surface area which can accelerate the weight loss process.