Electrospinning repellents in polyvinyl alcohol-nanofibres for obtaining mosquito-repelling fabrics.

Lucy Ciera,Lieva Van Langenhove,Lynda Beladjal,Maarten Holdinga,David Menger,Lieve Van Landuyt,Tom Gheysens,Johan Mertens,Karen De Clerk

doi:10.1098/rsos.182139

Lucy Ciera, Lieva Van Langenhove + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.182139

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Abstract

Recently, the use of repellents for preventing the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases is getting increasingly more attention. However, most of the current repellents are volatile in nature and must be frequently re-applied as their efficacy is only limited to a short period of time. Therefore, a slow release and abrasion-resistant mechanism is needed for prolonging the protection time of the repellents. The focus of this study is on the direct micro-encapsulation of repellents from an emulsion and integration of already encapsulated repellents into nanofibres via electrospinning. Different repellents were electrospun in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibrous structures, namely p-menthane-3,8-diol micro-capsules, permethrin, chilli and catnip oil. The repellents were successfully incorporated in the nanofibres and the tensile properties of the resulting samples did not have a significant change. This means that the newly created textiles were identical to current PVA nanofibrous textiles with the added benefit of being mosquito repellent. Principally, all incorporated repellents in the nanofibrous structures showed a significantly reduced number of mosquito landings compared to the control. Consequently, the currently described method resulted in a new and very effective repelling textile material that can be used in the prevention against mosquito-associated diseases.

Highlights

Lucy Ciera5, Lynda Beladjal2, Lieve Van Landuyt1, David Menger3, Maarten Holdinga3, Johan Mertens2, Lieva Van Langenhove1, Karen De Clerk1 and Tom Gheysens1,4
The micro-capsules were covered by the nanofibres integrating them into the fabric, not changing the nanofibre morphology
In the case of permethrin, chilli and catnip oil emulsion electrospinning, a smooth and uniform fibre surface was observed for the reference blank polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibres

Summary

Introduction

The most effective and most commonly used insect repellents for preventing mosquito bites present on the market today are synthetic in nature and include DEET (N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) and picaridin [2,4,5]. Repellents are mostly applied directly onto the skin or impregnated on fabric surfaces Due to their volatile nature, their efficacy is only limited to a short time period and the repellents need frequent re-application. Their durability and resistance to abrasion is questionable when coated on the fabric surface. In this paper, we compared both techniques, emulsion and micro-capsule electrospinning, in their ability to integrate repellents into nanofibrous structures for textile applications

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