Abstract
Novel poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofiber mats were prepared for the first time through heterogeneous saponification of electrospun poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) nanofibers. The effect of varying the saponification conditions, including temperature, time, and concentration of the alkaline solution, on the morphology of the saponified PVA fibers were evaluated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. At 25 °C, the saponified PVA fibers exhibited a broad diameter distribution. The average fiber diameter, however, was found to decrease with increasing saponification temperature. When the saponification time was increased from 6 to 30 h, the average fiber diameter decreased gradually from 1540 to 1060 nm. In addition, the fiber diameter and morphology were also affected by the concentration of the alkaline saponification solution. The most optimal conditions for fabrication of thin, uniform, and smooth PVA nanofibers corresponded to an alkaline solution containing 10 g each of NaOH, Na2SO4, and methanol per 100 g of water, a temperature of 25 °C, and a saponification time of 24 h.
Highlights
Unlike most vinyl polymers, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) cannot be prepared by direct polymerization of the corresponding monomer as a result of its keto-enol tautomerism [1,2]
The results showed that the optimal conditions for fabricating thin, uniform, and smooth saponified PVA nanofibers corresponded to an alkaline solution containing NaOH (10 g), Na2 SO4 (10 g), and methanol (MeOH, 10 g) per 100 g of water, at a temperature of 25 ◦ C, and a saponification time of 24 h
We have prepared for the first time saponified PVA nanofiber mats from poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) nanofibers through heterogeneous saponification
Summary
Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) cannot be prepared by direct polymerization of the corresponding monomer as a result of its keto-enol tautomerism [1,2]. PVA is synthesized by polymerizing vinyl acetate, followed by conversion of the resulting poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) into PVA through saponification [3,4,5]. PVA nanofibers are currently used as drug [6] and protein carriers [7] as well as nanocomposite electrospun fiber matrices for antibacterial treatments [8], tissue engineering [9], and other biomedical applications [10]. Several research groups have used heterogeneous saponification to manufacture PVA from PVAc. For example, Lee et al prepared. PVA/PVAc microspheres through heterogeneous surface saponification of PVAc microspheres and investigated the rate of saponification in the presence of various ions [11].
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