2,6-Dichloro-4-nitroaniline –loaded Electrospun Cellulose Acetate Fiber Mats and Their Release Characteristics

Patcharaporn Thitiwongsawet (Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University, Klong-Luang, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand)
Paweena Ouykul (Department of Materials Science and Technology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90112, Thailand)
Akkarin Khaoroppan (Department of Materials Science and Technology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90112, Thailand)

ASEAN Journal of Chemical Engineering
Vol 10, No 2 (2010)

Mats of cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers containing 2,6-dichloro-4-nitroaniline (DCNA) were successfully fabricated by electrospinning from the neat CA solution (17% w/v in 2:1 acetone/dimethylacetamide) containing DCNA in various amounts (i.e. 5-15 wt. % based on the weight of CA). The morphological appearance of both the neat and the DCNA-loaded electrospun CA fibers were smooth and the incorporation of DCNA in the neat CA solution did not affect the morphology of the resulting fibers. The average diameters of the neat and the DCNA-loaded electrospun CA fibers ranged between 241-320 nm. The integrity of the as-loaded DCNA in the DCNA-loaded CA fiber mats was intact as verified by the 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic method. The amount of water retention, the amount of weight loss, and release characteristics of the DCNA-loaded CA fiber mats and the DCNA-loaded as-cast films in distilled water at 30°C were studied. The release characteristics were investigated by the total immersion method. The DCNA-loaded CA fiber mats exhibited greater amount of water retention, weight loss, and DCNA released than the DCNA-loaded as-cast films.