Polymer-micelle complex as an aid to electrospinning
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorsRamanathan Nagarajan, Christopher P. Drew, Charlene M. Mello
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Abstract
A polymer-micelle complex suitable for use as an aid to preparing fibers, particularly nanofibers, by electrospinning. The polymer-micelle complex may be designed to impart viscosity, surface tension and conductivity properties optimal for electrospinning. By incorporating the complex as a secondary ingredient, one may electrospin sparingly soluble or low molecular weight polymers. Moreover, the polymer-micelle complex can be used as a generic carrier for preparing fibers incorporating other desired materials, such as rigid or globular (hard-to-spin) polymers, enzymes, cells, viral particles and nanoparticles.
Claims8
A method of forming a fiber, the fiber consisting essentially of one or more desired materials, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a spin dope, the spin dope comprising:
- (i) a solvent,
- (ii) a polymer-micelle complex, the polymer-micelle complex being present in the solvent in a quantity sufficient to enable the spin dope to be electrospun into a fiber and wherein the polymer-micelle complex is present in the solvent as a minor component in a quantity of about 0.32 in mass fraction of total solids of the spin dope, wherein the polymer-micelle complex consists essentially of polyethylene oxide and sodium dodecyl sulfate, and
- (iii) one or more desired materials present in the solvent;
- and
- (b) electro spinning the spin dope into a fiber consisting essentially of the one or more desired materials.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.