Fabrication and characterization of nanofibrous gelatin/chitosan-poly (ethylene oxide) membranes by electrospinning with acetic acid as solvent

On basis of the difficulty in fabricating natural-polymer nanofibers by electrospinning with common solvents, in this paper, gelatin/chitosan (CS)-Poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) electrospun membranes at different weight ratios (9/1, 8/2, 7/3, 6/4) were successfully fabricated with 50% (v/v) acetic acid solution as solvent. Moreover, the relationship between different fiber components and the properties of as-spun membranes has been studied. All electrospun membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, porosity, contact angle, water swelling rate, water vapor transmission rate, mechanical properties, and in vitro degradation behavior. The results demonstrated that all electrospun membranes were consisted of uniform, bead-free fibers, and the average fiber diameter and porosity were 390-600 nm and 80-90%, respectively. The crystallinity of gelatin/CS-PEO electrospun membranes gradually increased with the increasing content of PEO. Besides, the water contact angle, water swelling ratio, water vapor transmission rate, and in vitro degradation behavior of gelatin/CS-PEO electrospun membranes were 29°-37°, 260-410%, 580-657 g·m −2 ·day −1 , and 79-91%, respectively. Moreover, the mechanical properties showed that the tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and elongation at break were 0.76-1.70 MPa, 21.0-31.7 MPa, and 22.3-27.4%, respectively. In particular, gelatin/CS-PEO electrospun membranes 7/3 have excellent properties comparing with others, showing the great potential application as dermis scaffold in skin regeneration.