Processing, structure, property relationships and release kinetics of electrospun PLA/Carvacrol membranes

In this work, polylactic acid (PLA) membranes at two different carvacrol (CRV) nominal concentration (i.e. 14 wt % and 28 wt%) were prepared via electrospinning technology. The membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, ATR-FTIR and calorimetric measurements as well as tensile tests. Moreover, the release kinetics of CRV in phosphate buffered solution at 37 degrees C was monitored through UV-Vis measurements and the data were fitted with a power law model. Results indicated that the successful incorporation of CRV in the polymer matrix damaged the fibers morphology but increased all the mechanical parameters investigated (i.e. elastic modulus, tensile strength and elongation). The power law model highlighted that the mechanism of CRV release changed with time from an anomalous release in the first 6 h to a Fickian diffusion mechanism for both the PLA/CRV systems.