Large-scale preparation of polylactic acid/polyethylene glycol micro/nanofiber fabrics with aligned fibers via a post-drafting melt blown process

Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA) micro/nanofiber fabrics with good biodegradability and biocompatibility have wide applications in the medical protective field. However, the poor flexibility, high brittleness, and insufficient mechanical properties of PLA micro/nanofiber fabrics remain challenging. Herein, a polylactic acid/polyethylene glycol (PLA/PEG) micro/nanofiber fabric with aligned fibers was successfully prepared by an inexpensive and straightforward post-drafting melt blown process. The experimental results showed that PEG can reduce the Tg of PLA, improve the mobility of PLA molecular chains, reduce the complex viscosity of PLA/PEG blends, and play a role in plasticization. The PLA/PEG micro/nanofiber fabrics had an aligned micro/nanofibrous structure, and the average fiber diameter was easily adjusted from 10.7 to 4.9 μm by tailoring the melt blown process parameters, i.e., die temperature and hot air temperature. Moreover, the breaking tensile strength increased from 45.06 to 78.73 N in the machine direction (MD), while it increased from 11.87 to 21.89 N in the cross direction (CD), which means that the breaking tensile strength was enhanced significantly by adjusting the die temperature and hot air temperature. Furthermore, the prepared samples showed a high softness score of 82.7, a large synthetic blood contact angle of 125.7°, and an excellent bursting strength of 58.5 N. These PLA/PEG micro/nanofiber fabrics with aligned fibers are ideal candidates for medical protective applications such as surgical gowns, protection suits, masks, and medical bandages.