Effect of filler content on morphology and physical-chemical characteristics of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/NaY zeolite-filled membranes

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) electrospun membranes have been prepared with different NaY zeolite contents up to 32 wt%. Inclusion of zeolites induces an increase of average fiber size from similar to 200 nm in the pure polymer up to similar to 500 nm in the composite with 16 wt% zeolite content. For higher filler contents, a wider distribution of fibers occurs leading to a broader size distribution between the previous fiber size values. Hydrophobicity of the membranes increases from similar to 115A(0) water contact angle to similar to 128A(0) with the addition of the filler and is independent on filler content, indicating a wrapping of the zeolite by the polymer. The water contact angle further increases with fiber alignment up to similar to 137A degrees. Electrospun membranes are formed with similar to 80 % of the polymer crystalline phase in the electroactive beta phase, independently on the electrospinning processing conditions or filler content. Viability of MC3T3-E1 cells on the composite membranes after 72 h of cell culture indicates the suitability of the membranes for tissue engineering applications.