The effect of humidity during electrospinning on morphology and mechanical properties of SF/PVA nanofibers

Abstract

Silk fibroin (SF) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are biopolymers which possess the biocompatibility, biodegradability and non-toxicity. Theses biopolymers are feasible to fabricate as a nanofiber, which is similar to collagen fiber of native meniscus. Therefore, electrospinning using SF blended PVA has been investigated in this study. One important factor affecting electrospinning process is the humidity. The influence of humidity on the formation and the physical properties of nanofiber was therefore studied. Silk fibroin blended with polyvinyl alcohol was prepared with 1:3 ratio in different humidity. The morphology of the SF/PVA blended electrospun nanofiber was examined using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). Mechanical properties were also tested using a universal testing machine. The result of this study showed fiber diameter size of SF/PVA electrospun nanofiber in range of 111 ± 29 to 90 ± 33 nm, it decreased when relative humidity increased. Tensile strength was slightly decreased while %elongation at break was slightly increased with increasing humidity.