Effect of chitin nanofibrils on electrospinning of chitosan-based composite nanofibers

Irina P Dobrovolskaya; Vladimir E Yudin; Pavel V Popryadukhin; Elena M Ivan'kova; Anton S Shabunin; Igor A Kasatkin; Pierfrancesco Morgantie

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.03.074

Effect of chitin nanofibrils on electrospinning of chitosan-based composite nanofibers

Carbohydr Polym. 2018 Aug 15:194:260-266. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.03.074. Epub 2018 Mar 23.

Authors

Irina P Dobrovolskaya¹, Vladimir E Yudin², Pavel V Popryadukhin², Elena M Ivan'kova², Anton S Shabunin³, Igor A Kasatkin⁴, Pierfrancesco Morgantie⁵

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Macromolecular Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31 Bolshoy pr. VO, 199004 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya ul. 29, 195251 Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Electronic address: zair2@mail.ru.
² Institute of Macromolecular Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31 Bolshoy pr. VO, 199004 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya ul. 29, 195251 Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
³ Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya ul. 29, 195251 Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
⁴ Saint-Petersburg State University, 7-9, Universitetskaya nab., 199034 Saint-Petersburg Russia.
⁵ Applied Cosmetic Dermatology, Federico II University of Naples, Corso Umberto I, 40-80138, Napolei, Italy.

PMID: 29801838
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.03.074

Abstract

Electrical conductivity, surface tension and viscosity of chitosan-based composite nanofibers are reported. 20 wt.% of chitin nanofibrils introduced into a chitosan solution leads to increase in viscosity of the mixture; the effect of shear rate becomes more pronounced. This phenomenon is caused by the formation of cluster structures involving filler particles, and by orientation of chitin nanofibrils under the action of shear stresses in electromagnetic field. Presence of chitin facilitated formation of nanofibers in electric field and led to significant decrease in the amount of defects.

Keywords: Chitin nanofibrils; Composite nanofibers; Electrospinning; Nanocomposite; Structure; Сhitin/chitosan.