Development of Cellulose-Based Nanofibers by Electrospinning Technique

Cellulose-based nanofibers exhibit biodegradability and reproducibility, as well as possessing excellent mechanical properties, a low thermal expansion coefficient, and a high surface area-to-volume ratio. This study presents the development of cellulose-based nanofibers through electrospinning techniques. Cellulose, used to produce nanofibers, was extracted from natural cotton wool and rice straw using simple, cost-effective methods. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to confirm the presence and removal of hemicellulose and lignin from the extracted cellulose. Activation, acetylation, and hydrolysis processes were carried out using acetic acid and acetic anhydride under varied reaction parameters for the extracted cellulose. The resulting cellulose acetate (CA) product was subjected to sedimentation at a defined rotational speed and duration. Subsequently, the dried CA powder was dissolved in an appropriate solvent mixture ratio of Acetone/DMF to produce the precursor solution suitable for electrospinning. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was utilized to characterize the electrospun fibers and determine their dimensions at the nanoscale. It was confirmed through SEM images that the electrospun fibers produced from both cotton and rice straw were in the nanoscale range. The production of nanofibers from rice straw proves advantageous due to the abundance and cost-effectiveness of the raw material compared to cotton wool.