Enhancement of chemical, physical, and surface properties of electrospun <scp>PCL</scp>/<scp>PLA</scp> blends by means of air plasma treatment
Luis Alfonso Can‐Herrera, A.I. Oliva, José Manuel Cervantes‐Uc
Abstract
Abstract Polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) are polymers with unique individual features, but their mixing can produce a new biodegradable material with well‐balanced properties, although with a disadvantage that both are highly hydrophobic materials. To improve this drawback, electrospun PCL/PLA blends with various weight ratios were superficially modified by air plasma. The changes undergone by the nanofibers were characterized using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques; water contact angle (WCA) was also determined. We demonstrated that the electrospun PCL/PLA blends did not suffer morphological changes, although it was observed an increase in the roughness and the O/C ratio (by XPS analysis) and, decrease in WCA values, when the PCL content dominates in the blend after the treatment. The surface characteristics of the scaffolds PCL/PLA blends can be improved after modification with plasma and by tuning the content of its components.