Green Electrospinning of Biodegradable Cellulose Acetate Nanofibrous Membranes with Tunable Porosity

The electrospinning of polymer nanofibers has received significant attention owing to their high surface-area-to-volume ratio, high porosity, adjustable pore size and texture, and highly interconnected porous structure. In particular, the electro-spinning of biodegradable cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers has sparked interest in diverse applications, including drug delivery systems, scaffolding for tissue engineering, air filtration, and affinity membrane systems. However, the electrospinning process has been mostly performed using toxic and hazardous solvents and additives. We developed electrospun CA nanofibers using a green solvent system comprising dimethyl carbonate and cyclopentanone. The use of green additives, namely, tetrabutylammonium bromide salts and sophorolipid-based biosurfactants, obtained from honey yeast, substantially improved the spinnability of the CA solution. Moreover, the nanofiber diameter and porous texture were tunable by adjusting the solvent ratio. Pore generation was induced using volatile dimethyl carbonate, which quickly evaporated from the fiber jet. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that the electrospinning process can be divided into three stages. The addition of the biosurfactant facilitated the evaporation process and improved the uniformity of the nanofibers. Furthermore, the nanofibers can be degraded using esterase and cellulase enzymes. To summarize, the electrospinning of ultrafine CA porous nanofibers with tunable was achieved solvents and additives.

Automated summary

The electrospinning of polymer nanofibers, especially biodegradable cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers, has attracted significant attention due to their unique properties and a wide range of applications. However, the conventional electrospinning process involves the use of toxic solvents and additives. In this study, we developed a green solvent system and used biosurfactants to improve the electrospinning process and obtain uniform and porous CA nanofibers. The nanofiber diameter and porous texture could be adjusted by tuning the solvent ratio, and the resulting nanofibers showed tunable degradation properties.