Green electrospinning of chitin propionate to manufacture nanofiber mats

Tuhua Zhong; Wangcheng Liu; Hang Liu

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118593

Green electrospinning of chitin propionate to manufacture nanofiber mats

Carbohydr Polym. 2021 Dec 1:273:118593. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118593. Epub 2021 Aug 21.

Authors

Tuhua Zhong¹, Wangcheng Liu², Hang Liu³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of New Bamboo and Rattan Based Biomaterials, International Center for Bamboo and Rattan, Beijing 100102, China; Composite Materials and Engineering Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
² Composite Materials and Engineering Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
³ Composite Materials and Engineering Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. Electronic address: hangliu@wsu.edu.

PMID: 34560994
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118593

Abstract

Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer after cellulose in nature, and it is currently under-utilized partially because of its insolubility in common solvents. Herein, chitin was propionylated to improve its dissolution in green solvents, i.e., ethanol and water, and manufactured nanofibers and nonwoven mats via electrospinning with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as a co-spinning aid. Polymer solution viscosity, electrospun CP/PEO fiber morphology, mechanical, thermal, dynamic thermal, and surface contact angle of nanofiber mats were evaluated. Results showed that fibers with CP content up to 97% could be produced. The electrospun CP/PEO nanofiber mats exhibited good mechanical strength, thermal stability, and hydrophobicity with water contact angles up to 133°. Filtration test of separating carbon nanofibers and carbon nanotubes from water demonstrated the potential use of the CP/PEO nanofiber mats in fluid filtration of fibrous pollutants.

Keywords: Chitin propionate; Electrospinning; Ethanol/water; Filtration; Nanofiber.