Fibres from blends of epoxidized natural rubber and polylactic acid by the electrospinning process: Compatibilization and surface texture

Fibres were electrospun from blends of an epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) with a minor amount of a crystalline grade of polylactic acid (PLA), using a graft copolymer compatibilizer (ENR-g-JM) produced by reaction processing of a mixture of PLA and monoamine terminated polypropylene glycol (Jeffamine M600). The incorporation of PLA into the elastomer spinning solution in the form of a blend was necessary to obtain the required solution properties and to establish the appropriate operational conditions for the successful electrospinning of fibres. The addition of a small quantity of compatibilizer to the ENR/PLA blend reduced the severity of surface roughness of the fibres. Moreover, the use of monoamine terminated polypropylene glycol alone, as a plasticizer, was also found to exert a control on the development of surface texture during electrospinning. The rate of solvent induced crystallization in the swollen fibres jet was identified as the factor determining the surface topography. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.