Work

Preparation of Biopolymer Fibers by Electrospinning from Room Temperature Ionic Liquids

Year: 2006

Type: article

Abstract: Electrospinning is a versatile process used to prepare micro- and nano- sized fibers from various polymers dissolved in volatile solvents. In this report, cellulose and cellulose-heparin composite fibers are prepared from nonvolatile room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) solvents by electrospinning. RTILs are extracted from the biopolymer fiber after the fiber formation using a cosolvent. Micron to nanometer sized, branched fibers were obtained from 10% (w/w) concentration of polysaccharide biopolymer in RTIL solution with an applied voltage of 15-20 kV. Cellulose-heparin composite fibers showed anticoagulant activity, demonstrating that the bioactivity of heparin remained unaffected even on exposure to a high voltage involved in electrospinning.

Source: Biomacromolecules

DOI: 10.1021/bm050837s

Authors: Gunaranjan Viswanathan, Saravanababu Murugesan, Victor Pushparaj, Omkaram Nalamasu, Pulickel M. Ajayan, Robert J. Linhardt

Institutions: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications

Subfield: Biomaterials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Awards: Synthetic Heparan Sulfate: Probing Biosynthesis to Prepare Defined Drugs, Sequencing the Polysaccharide Component of Proteoglycans, Glycosaminoglycan-Protein Interactions