Wetting of Polylactic Acid Solution Blow Spinning Nonwoven Materials

Nanofibers have a wide range of applications due to their unique properties, and there are several methods to produce them to improve scalability and reduce production costs. The popular electrospinning technology has limitations in terms of low productivity and specific equipment. Solution blow spinning is a simpler and less expensive alternative that uses pressurized gas to form fibers, allowing for easier scalability and control of production speed. This study focuses on the wettability characteristics of polylactic acid (PLA)-based materials produced by solution blow spinning. PLA nanofibers were prepared using dichloromethane as a solvent. Scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurements were used to analyze the surface topography and wetting properties. The wetting properties were analyzed using the Zisman plot technique. The results showed that low density samples (2 g/m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup>) had an average fiber thickness of 200 nm and high-density samples (10 g/m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup>) had an average fiber thickness of 400 nm. The water contact angles were 136° for the low-density samples and 130° for the high-density samples, indicating different degrees of hydrophobicity. Analysis of the Zisman plot showed that the high-density material exhibited greater stability in the Cassi state compared to the low-density materials. This study highlights the potential of solution blow spinning to produce PLA nanofibers for various applications, including biomaterials and wearable electronics.