Characterization of cellulose fibers electrospun using ionic liquid

Nonwoven fibers of cellulose were obtained by electrospinning of cellulose in an ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylinmidazolium chloride (BMIMCl), which is known to be one of the nonvolatile solvents. The electrospinning setup was modified in such a way that the syringe was contained in a constant-temperature chamber because of the high melting point of BMIMCl, and the electrospun fibers were collected on the water, which immediately removed the remnant solvent from the electrospun cellulose fibers. The effect of the viscosity of the cellulose solution in BMIMCl on the size and the structure of the fibers was investigated. The crystalline structure of cellulose was examined by X-ray diffraction. Also, the effect of dimethyl sulfoxide, which was expected to induce swelling of cellulose, was studied. The minimum diameter of the continuous electrospun cellulose fibers obtained in this work ranged between 500 and 800 nm.