Effect of organosoluble salts on the nanofibrous structure of electrospun poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate)

Electrospinning of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) in chloroform was investigated to develop non-woven biodegradable nanofibrous structures for tissue engineering. Ultrafine PHBV fibers were obtained by electrospinning of 20 wt.% PHBV solution in chloroform and the resulting fiber diameters were in the range of 1.0–4.0 μm. When small amounts of benzyl trialkylammonium chlorides were added to the PHBV solution, the average diameter was decreased to 1.0 μm and the fibers were amounted in a straight shape. Conductivity of the PHBV solution was a major parameter affecting the morphology and diameter of the electrospun PHBV fibers. PHBV non-woven structures electrospun with salt exhibited a higher degradation rate than those prepared without salt probably due to the increase of surface area of PHBV fibers.