Preparation and Morphology Study of Electrospun Cellulose Acetate Fibers Using Various Solvent Systems and Concentrations

Abstract

This research investigates the application of electrospinning in the production of CA fibers and examines how two critical parameters influence the morphology and dimensions of the resulting CA products during the spinning process. These factors include the solvent system employed and the concentration of the solution. By analyzing these parameters, the research aims to elucidate their effects on the characteristics of the resultant CA materials following the spinning process. The study employed acetone as a single-solvent system, while acetone–acetic acid (2:1) and acetone-chloroform, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) (2:1) were used as mixed-solvent systems at room temperature. For the single-solvent approach, CA was dissolved in acetone at concentrations of (5, 10, 11, 13, and 15 wt%). In the co-solvent systems, CA was dissolved in acetone–DMF (2:1) at concentrations of (5, 10, 15, 16, 18, and 20 wt%), and in acetone-acetic acid (2:1) at concentrations of (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%). Although DMF and acetic acid could dissolve CA to form clear solutions (at 5 wt%), electrospinning primarily resulted in discrete beads. In contrast, electrospinning CA in acetone produced short, beaded fibers. The optimal results, yielding continuous fibers without beading, were achieved with 10 wt% CA in acetone, 15 wt% CA in acetone/acetic acid (2:1), and 18 wt% CA in acetone/DMF (2:1). The results revealed how various parameters affected the diameter and quality of the fibers, ultimately determining the optimal conditions.