Effect of polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan blend ratios on morphological, optical, and thermal properties of electrospun nanofibers

In this study, the electrospinning method was used to prepare polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/chitosan (CS) blend nanofibers from their solutions. The effect of blend ratios (PVA/CS: 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7% (w/w)), applied voltage, and flow rate on the morphological, optical, and thermal properties of electrospun nanofibers were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence and UV-Vis spectroscopies, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated the existence of related functional groups of both PVA and CS in the electrospun fibers.