Aging Time of Soluble Potato Starch Solutions for Ultrafine Fibers Formation by Electrospinning

Abstract

The objective of this study is to develop a methodology to produce ultrafine fibers of soluble potato starch with normal amylose content by electrospinning, and to evaluate the characteristics of the fibers produced from fiber-forming solutions subjected to different aging times. The fiber-forming polymer solutions are prepared with 40% soluble potato starch (with amylose content of 32.54 ± 3.65%) and formic acid (75%) as solvent. The solutions are allowed to age for 0, 24, 48, and 72 h before electrospinning. Viscosity and electrical conductivity of the solutions are determined. The electrospun fibers are analyzed for morphology, size distribution, and thermal properties, and investigated through Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. The shear viscosity of the solutions decreases as aging time increases from 0 to 48 h but did not change upon further aging (p > 0.05). The electrical conductivity did not influenced the studied properties in the present study such as morphology and size distribution of the fibers. The electrospun fibers show a morphology with beads and average diameter in the range 128–143 nm. The weight loss in thermal properties is lower in the fibers than in the starch. This study showes that soluble potato starch with normal amylose content can be converted into ultrafine fibers by electrospinning like a neat polymer in a fiber-forming solution.