Chitosan nanofibers fabricated by combined ultrasonic atomization and freeze casting

Aligned chitosan nanofibers exhibiting diameters smaller than 100 nm were easily prepared by combining ultrasonic atomization with freeze casting. A major advantage of this approach is the use of distilled water as main solvent. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that fiber diameter and morphology mainly depended on the atomizing tools, freezing temperature, and chitosan solution viscosity. Minimum diameter and uniform orientation were achieved using an electric flosser as an atomizing tool, liquid nitrogen as a coolant, 0.4 wt% aqueous chitosan solution (molecular weight = 22 kDa), and a small amount of lactic acid as solvent at 0 °C. The resulting chitosan nanofibers may find application in biomedical and food engineering. Moreover, this new technology may be applicable to other natural and synthetic water-soluble polymers.