Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Composite Nanofibers Produced by Coaxial Electrospinning

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) (core)/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) (shell) composite nanofibers were produced by coexial electrospinning and their characteristics were investigated. It was important to establish feed rate of each polymer solution and voltage for a successful coaxial electrospinning, and the composite nanofibers with good linearity and regularity were produced by an interactive control of these factors. The nano-sized fibers and core-shell structures were observed through electron microscopes and the presence of each polymer in the coaxially electrospun nanofibers was confirmed by spectroscopic analyses. Also, the contact angle between water and composite nanofiber web decreased compared with that of PET nanoweb due to the presence of PVA. It is suggested that coaxial electrospinning is an effective technique to improve hydrophilicity of hydrophobic nanofibers by blending a water-soluble polymer with maintaining nanostructures, and to incorporate water-dispersable nanoparticles and water-soluble bioactive components including proteins in the nanofibers.