Wetting Behavior of Electrospun Poly(L-lactic acid)/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composite Nonwovens

Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) fibers have been extensively studied for various applications. In this work, PLLA and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were prepared by coelectrospinning to form composite nonwoven materials. The structures and diameter distribution of the electrospun PLLA/PVA composite nonwovens were examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The wetting behavior of the electrospun PLLA/PVA composite nonwovens was also investigated using static contact angles and dynamic water adsorption measurements. It was observed that the addition of PVA in the electrospun PLLA/PVA composite nonwovens significantly alerted the contact angles and water adsorption of the composite materials. It was also found that the increase in the content of PLLA led to the increase in the surface contact angle and decrease in water adsorption of the electrospun PLLA/PVA nonwoven materials. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 110: 3172-3177, 2008