Characterizing optimum electrospinning conditions for graft urethanized Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)(U-PVA)

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a water-soluble polymer that has been widely used in medical and pharmaceutical applications. For this study, we grafted urea to PVA to enhance its wettability and solubility in water. We used a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to characterize the electrospun graft urethanized poly(vinyl alcohol) U-PVA and determine the best electrospinning conditions. The capillary-collector distance, applied voltage, and flow rate all had notable effects on fiber diameter and morphology. When we increased the capillary-collector distance to 20 cm and set the applied voltage to 25 kV, the fiber diameter and bead formation decreased, while decreasing the flow rate to 1 mL/h resulted in a homogeneous fibrous structure with an average fiber diameter equal to 159 ± 59.3 nm. We compared the wettabilities, Fourier transform infra-red FTIR spectra and insulin drug release of graft U-PVA and pure PVA electrospun specimens. Grafting urea to PVA enhanced its wettability, and drug release rate with time; indicating the effectiveness of graft U-PVA as a drug delivery system with high drug-release rates.