Cellulose-Based Nanofibers Electrospun from Cuprammonium Solutions: Preparation, Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties

Abstract

Nanofibers based on cellulose are highly desired due to their remarkable biocompatibility and attractive physical and biochemical characteristics. The current research describes a simple electrospinning process and the nano-materials therefrom, utilizing the classical cellulose-cuprammonium solution without the more exotic chemical solvent combinations. Furthermore, without the use of organic solvents, a binary polymer system with the addition of polyethylene oxide(PEO) is introduced to improve the robustness of the electrospinning and the properties of the final material. The impacts of the cellulose source, cellulose mass fraction and PEO formulation on spinnability, fiber morphology and mechanical properties are investigated. Nanofibers with diameters ranging from 130 nm to 382 nm are successfully fabricated. The presence of copper in the fabricated material is confirmed by using the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) analysis. The cuprammonium process significantly changes the original crystalline structure of cellulose Ⅰ into cellulose Ⅲ within the nanofiber morphology. The nanofibrous membranes also demonstrate notable antibacterial characteristics for Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) and Escherichia coli(E. coli).

Keywords

cellulose / electrospinning / cuprammonium solution / polyethylene oxide(PEO) / antibacterial activity

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Funding

Key Project of State Key Laboratory of Bio-Fibers and Eco-Textiles of Qingdao University, China(RZ2000003348)

High Level Talents Research Start-Up Fund, China(DC1900000746)

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2024M751568)

Shandong Province Postdoctoral Innovation Project, China(SDCX-ZG-202400294)