PHB/PEG Nanofiber Mat Obtained by Electrospinning and Their Performances

In this work, a nanofiber mat based on PHB/PEG with various PEG contents was obtained by electrospinning process. The thermal and mechanical properties of the PHB/PEG nanofiber mat were investigated. In addition, PHB/PEG nanofiber mats were characterized by Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and water contact angle measurement. It was shown that, by increasing the PEG contents from 1 to 4%, the average diameter of PHB nanofibers decreased from 1177 nm to 1101 nm, corresponding to 2% PEG, then the diameter of the fiber increased again from 1101 nm to 1136 nm, corresponding to 4% PEG. Tensile strength increased from 3.6 MPa to 4.4 MPa, then decreased from 4.4 MPa to 2.9 MPa. Thermogravimetric analysis showed a difference in the process of thermal degradation of nanofiber mats. The degree of crystallinity measured by XRD and DSC methods gives different values at some points. The results demonstrated that adding PEG improved the mechanical properties, hydrophobicity, porosity, and thermal stability of the PHB fiber mat, which showed that the PHB/PEG nanofiber mat has great potential for air filtration or water filtration.