Influence of the Processing Parameters on the Electrospinning of Biopolymeric Fibers

The main aim of this research is the production of different biopolymeric fibers by electrospinning and the determination of the optimum working parameters for each polymer analyzed. In particular, three different biopolymers have been studied: poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and a synthesized poly(ester-urethane) based on a synthesized PLA-b-PCL-b-PLA tri-block copolymer. This research is focused on the analysis of the influence of the processing parameters, such as the concentration and flow-rate of the polymer solution and the applied voltage, as well as the physico-chemical properties of the polymers used, on the fiber formation and crystallization behavior. Therefore, the optimum working conditions for each polymer were determined and related to the final properties of the electrospun fibers in terms of geometry, homogeneous morphology and crystallinity.