Influence of ZnO, SiO2 and TiO2 on the aging process of PLA fibers produced by electrospinning method

Karolina Kosowska; Piotr Szatkowski

doi:10.1007/s10973-019-08890-6

Influence of ZnO, SiO₂ and TiO₂ on the aging process of PLA fibers produced by electrospinning method

J Therm Anal Calorim. 2020;140(4):1769-1778. doi: 10.1007/s10973-019-08890-6. Epub 2019 Nov 2.

Authors

Karolina Kosowska¹, Piotr Szatkowski¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Biomaterials and Composites, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the effect of ceramics particles addition (SiO₂, ZnO, TiO₂) on the ultraviolet (UV) aging of poly(lactic acid) nonwovens fabricated using electrospinning method. The resistance to aging is a key factor for outdoor and medical applications (UV light sterilization). Nonwovens were placed in special chamber with UV light. Changes of physicochemical properties were recorded using differential scanning calorimetry and attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The fibers' morphology was studied by using scanning electron microscopy. Obtained results clearly showed that only PLA fibers with ZnO particles gained an increase in UV resistance. The paper presents a description of structural changes taking place under the influence of UV aging processes and describes the mechanisms of this process and the effect of ceramic addition on the lifetime of such materials.

Keywords: Aging process; Electrospinning; Fibers; Poly(lactic acid).