Structure and properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate)/poly(L-lactic acid) quasi core/sheath melt-electrospun microfibers

Abstract

A facile route was proposed to fabricate core–sheath microfibers, and the relationships among processing parameters, crystalline structures and the mechanical properties were investigated. The compression molded poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH)/poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) strip enhanced the spinnability of PHBH and the mechanical properties of PLLA as well. The core–sheath ratio of the fibers was determined by the prefab strip, while the PLLA sheath component did not completely cover the PHBH core component due to the weak interfacial tension between the melts of PHBH and PLLA. A rotational target was applied to collect aligned fibers, which were further drawn in a water bath. The tensile strength and the modulus of as-spun and drawn fibers increased with increasing the take-up velocities. When the take-up velocity was above 500 m/min, the jet became unstable and started to break up at the tip of the Taylor cone, decreasing the mechanical properties of the fibers. The drawing process facilitated the crystallization of PLLA and PHBH, and the tensile strength and the modulus increased linearly with the increasing the draw ratio. The crystal information displayed from wide-angle X-ray diffraction patterns and differential scanning calorimetry heating curves supported the results of the tensile tests.