Production method for electrospun chitosan-based membranes

Electrospinning can be used to prepare membranes with characteristics for biomedical application. In this work, the electrospinning conditions for the fabrication of membranes based on polymers extracted from natural sources such as chitosan and collagen were optimized (injection flow, injection volume, distance from the collector to the neddle, needle size and voltage). Specifically, four formulations were prepared with pure chitosan and mixtures of collagen (purified or hydrolyzed) and agarose. The optimal electrospinning conditions were an injection flow rate of 0.1 ml/h, a 16 G needle, an injection volume of 5 ml, a distance of 8 cm between the needle and the collector, and a voltage of 20 kV. Agarose addition resulted in greater elongation at break and maximum stress, and greater elasticity was observed in the mixture with hydrolyzed collagen. Fiber formation was observed in the structure prepared from chitosan and hydrolyzed collagen. The water holding capacity was greatest in the pure chitosan membranes and the addition of other polymers reduced this property by their interaction. The contributions of this research are as follows:•The electrospinning conditions were the same for the fabrication of membranes from pure chitosan and chitosan mixed with natural polymers.•The mechanical and biological properties of the membranes were improved by the addition of hydrolyzed collagen and agarose.•The addition of hydrolyzed collagen promoted the formation of fibers and porous membranes.