Solvent-free preparation of poly(lactic acid) fibers by melt electrospinning using an umbrella-like spray head and alleviation of the problematic thermal degradation

Key Words:PLA fibers; melt electrospinning; X-ray diffraction; antioxidants

Abstract:Melt electrospinning is an even simpler and safer method compared to solution electrospinning in the production of ultra-fine fibers. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable and resorbable aliphatic ester that has received significant attention in recent years. PLA is easily degradable at high temperatures during the process of melt electrospinning. Highly efficient fibers were made using a self-designed umbrella-like spray head spinning facility in. Differential scanning calorimeter and X-ray diffraction analysis were used to determine how to alleviate the problematic degradation, as well as which factors could be relevant to the degradation, temperature and relative molecular mass, by comparing the results obtained before and after spinning. The results showed that fibers spun at 245 degrees C were facile, shorter and fractured while the relative molecular mass of PLA fibers had decreased markedly as compared with those spun at 210 degrees C. In attempts to hinder the degradation, several experiments were implemented with the addition of antioxidants, raising the spinning voltage, lowering the temperature and reducing the residence time. After such modifications, it was observed that the relative molecular mass of the PLA fibers was higher than that of those without the modifications. The addition of the antioxidant 1010 was found to be the most promising method for the alleviation of the problematic thermal degradation of PLA.

Volume:77

Issue:8

Translation or Not:no