Fabrication of pure starch fibers by electrospinning

Kong, Lingyan; Ziegler, Gregory R.

Fabrication of pure starch fibers by electrospinning

2014

Kong, Lingyan | Ziegler, Gregory R.

Many efforts to spin starch fibers are reported in the patent and research literature. All reported spinning methods are dependent upon addition of non-starch components, e.g. other polymers, plasticizers or cross-linkers. In the present study, we demonstrate a method of producing pure starch fibers by an electrospinning technique. This method involves choosing an appropriate solvent for native high amylose starch and spinning on a modified electrospinning setup. Resulting starch fibers have diameters in the order of microns. Coagulation solvent composition can affect the crystallinity of the starch fibers. Post-spinning treatments were employed to increase the crystallinity and cross-link the starch fibers. The novel starch fibers have potential in various applications, e.g. in the food, textile, and biomedical industries.

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