Fabrication and Characterization of Electrospun Nanofibers of High DP Natural Cotton Lines Cellulose

Nanofibers of natural cotton lines cellulose, with a degree of polymerization above 10000, were prepared by electrospinning. The effects of cellulose concentration, flow rate and electric field strength on the morphologies of the fibers were systematically investigated. Furthermore, two effective improvements on the electrospinning apparatus were made: heating the pathway between the tip of the needle and the collector instead of the needle or the collector, and covering the drum with activated cellulose flake. High quality cellulose nanofibers were obtained under the optimized spinning conditions combined with the apparatus improvements. Moreover, oriented cotton nanofibers were acquired by elevating the rotation speed of the drum collector. The wettability of the nonwoven was greatly improved compared with the original activated cellulose. The obtained nonwoven or nanofibers of the natural cotton cellulose could be potentially applied in tissue scaffolds, protective clothing and high efficient water absorbing materials etc.