Research of polylactide porous hollow nanofiber membrane with high selective absorption characteristics

Abstract

A porous hollow fiber membrane using polylactide (PLA), a representative bio-derived polymer, was successfully fabricated. The use of high surface area fabrics can effectively absorb liquids, making it possible to impart selective absorbency to fabrics made of hydrophobic PLA. In this study, a porous PLA fabric was developed by applying the porosity of the fiber surface depending on the solvent, and the change was confirmed by morphological image analysis. To increase the total surface area effectively, hollow fibers were fabricated with coaxial electrospinning to maintain the pores of the surface while having a hollow space, and the changed oil absorption based on the fiber structure was measured. To enhance the selective absorption of the fabric to the oil, a coating process using nanoparticle was added. Dodecyltrichlorosilane-treated silica became superhydrophobic by attaching special functional groups to the surface of the particles. The treated silica was coated on the surface of the fabric to provide the functionality. To confirm the selective absorbency of the coated fabric, changes in oil and water absorption were analyzed, and the performance of the fabric was demonstrated. The fabricated PLA porous hollow fiber membranes are expected to replace existing products in the fields of tissue engineering, biofilters, and environment-friendly fabrics.