Influence of polyvinyl alcohol molecular weight on the electrospun nanofiber mechanical properties

Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) is a biodegradable and biocompatible synthetic polymer which has sufficient mechanical properties for tissue engineering application. In this study, the influence of PVA molecular weight on electrospun nanofibers was investigated. Electrospun PVA nanofibers were produced by electrospinning process with constant parameter setting. The molecular weight of PVA was varied. Four different molecular weights of PVA were used, i.e. 60k Da, 124 k Da, 145 k Da and 200 k Da. For each molecular weight of PVA used, 2 samples of solution with concentration of 5% w/v and 10% w/v were prepared. Mechanical properties of electrospun PVA nanofibers including tensile strength, Young's modulus, and contact angle were the response variables for the experiment. The results revealed electrospun PVA nanofibers with molecular weight 200k Da in a 10% w/v concentration of solution have the highest tensile strength and modulus of 29.8 +/- 0.3 MPa and 78 +/- 1 MPa, respectively. It was also hydrophilic as indicated by its low contact angle of 35.73 degrees +/- 0.48 degrees. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.