The materials used for the preparation of electrospun mats exhibit a large variety. Among them, cyclodextrins (CDs) and their derivatives have received thorough attention. Herein, we focus on the preparation of electrospun fibers based on biodegradable cyclodextrin-oligolactide (CDLA) derivatives, which may be qualified as polymer-free cyclodextrin. CDLA was prepared by ring opening of L-lactide initiated by the β-cyclodextrin. A clear structural image of the high-purity CDLA product was proved by MALDI MS. Preparation of the electrospun mats was optimized by taking into consideration the electrospinning parameters such as applied voltage, needle-to-collector distance, flow rate, the concentration of cyclodextrin solutions, and solvent type. The obtained electrospun fibers were morphologically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). SEM allowed the optimization of the electrospinning process to obtain beadless fibers with submicronic diameters. Further analysis by TEM and SAXS revealed the inner structural features of the CDLA-based filaments. Our results showed that the high purity CDLA materials, structurally well-defined at the molecular level, are suitable for the preparation of electrospun mats by using dimethylformamide or a water/acetonitrile mixture as electrospinning solvents, similar to lower molecular weight commercial cyclodextrin derivatives.
Keywords: cyclodextrin; cyclodextrin–oligolactide; electrospinning; electrospun mat; polymer-free fibers.