Effects of electrospinning parameters on polycaprolactone membrane diameter: An investigation utilizing central composite design and characterization
Muhammad Rama Almafie, Ahmad Fudholi, Rahma Dani, Meutia Kamilatun Nuha AP Idjan, Idha Royani, Ida Sriyanti
Abstract
• CCD optimization for electrospinning produces micro-nano fibers with controlled diameters. • Effect of PCL concentration, voltage, and distance on micro-nano fibers diameter. • PCL micro-nano fibres characterization using SEM, FTIR, XRD for comprehensive analysis. • The RSM-CCD model of micro-nano fibres diameter prediction showed high accuracy. The synergistic effect of electrospinning parameters, specifically concentration Polycaprolactone solution, voltage, and distance needle to collector, is a critical factor in the production of high-quality micro-nano fibres membranes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of these three parameters on the micro-nano fibres diameter and determine the optimal conditions for achieving the desired characteristics. Electrospinning was used to produce micro-nano fibres with diameters controlled by varying the process parameters. A Central Composite Design was used as an optimization method to evaluate the effects of these parameters on micro-nano fibres diameter. The results showed that all parameters had a significant effect, with the quadratic polynomial model providing the coefficient of determination (R² = 0.9854). The CCD model with desirability function successfully optimized the electrospinning parameters, resulting in a PCL concentration of 11.85 wt%, a voltage of 13.05 kV, and a distance of 82.17 cm. These conditions produced micro-nano fibres with diameters ranging from 1185.17 to 1338.69 nm and the highest desirability of 1.000 for further research. SEM analysis showed that the micro-nano fibres morphology was influenced by the solution concentration, where bead morphology micro-nano fibres were formed at a concentration of 8.30 wt%, while concentrations above 12.50 wt% produced bead-free micro-nano fibres. FTIR analysis revealed the presence of alkane, ester, and ether functional groups in the micro-nano fibres structure, which are important for the molecular integrity. In addition, XRD analysis showed the crystallite size of the micro-nano fibres ranged from 9.77 nm to 85.20 nm, with percentage crystallinity ranging from 19.23% to 34.74%. These findings suggest that the optimized PCL micro-nano fibres membranes possess desirable characteristics for potential applications in medical scaffolding, providing a structurally suitable environment for cell growth and tissue regeneration.