Electrospun cellulose fibers from ionic liquid: Practical implications toward robust morphology

Fibrous matrix of cellulose was obtained by wet-type electrospinning of cellulose in ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (BMIMAc). The experiments were designed to determine the effects of electric field intensity and the amount of dissolved cellulose on cellulose fiber morphology and diameter. Taking to account practical implications, that is, fiber size and the effectiveness of production, the most effective production of fibers took place using 3% cellulose/BMIMAc solution at electric field of 4.8 kV cm(-1), feed rate of 2.38 ml h(-1). Analysis has shown that cellulose was fully dissolved and consisted purely of regenerated cellulose (type II), while having porosity of 90% and average fiber width of 1.95 +/- 0.9 mu m. The scanning electron microscopy and micro-computed tomography analyses revealed a robust structural integrity of the formed fibrous matrix, which featured an area density of 85 +/- 8 g/m(2). The mechanical properties (strength of 12.03 +/- 1.1 MPa; strain at break 2.6 +/- 0.3%) indicate that in this study strong fibrous cellulose matrix was formed which could be used for the production of biocomposites or as biocompatible scaffolds.