Experimental Investigation of Governing Parameters in the Electrospinning of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-Starch Scaffolds: Structural Characterization

Abstract

In this study, for the first time, electrospinning of polyhydroxybutyrate/starch was done and optimized to produce uniform-size and bead-free nanofibers following Taguchi methodology. The main parameters such as solvent type, applied voltage, flow rate and rotating speed play an essential role in the characteristics of the nanofibrous morphologies. It found out from the main effects that the solvent type (chloroform/dimethylformamide, trifluoroacetic acid) is the most effective factor in the diameter and quality of the fibers. A scanning electron microscope assessed the structure and the average diameter of the fibers. The results indicated that all scaffolds have three-dimensional structures with interconnected porosity. The optimum levels of factors were determined as follows: 18 kV of voltage, 0.75 µL/h of flow rate, 15 cm of distance, and TFA as solvent in order to obtain the thinnest bead-free nanofibers.