Malaria is still a major tropical disease, with Africa particularly burdened. It has been proposed that outdoor protection could aid substantially in reducing the malaria incidence rate in rural African communities. Recently, melt-spun polyolefin fibers containing mosquito repellents have been shown to be promising materials to this end. In this study, the incorporation of N,N‑Diethyl‑3‑methylbenzamide (DEET)-a popular and widely available mosquito repellent-in commercially available, amorphous poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PDLLA) is investigated with the aim of producing biodegradable mosquito-repelling filaments with a reduced environmental impact. It is shown to be possible to produce macroscopically stable PDLLA-DEET compounds containing up to 20 wt.-% DEET that can be melt-spun to produce filaments, albeit at relatively low take-up speeds. A critical DEET content allows for stress-induced crystallization during the spinning of the otherwise amorphous PDLLA, resulting in the formation of α-crystals. Although the mechanical integrity of the filaments is notably impacted by the incorporation of DEET, these filaments show potential as materials that can be used for Malaria vector control.
Keywords: DEET; Malaria; filaments; melt spinning; mosquito repellence; poly(lactic acid).