Exploring Waste Wool Derived-Keratin Nanofiber Architectures on Cotton Fabrics: Electrospinning Strategies for Enhanced Material Properties

This work introduces an approach to creating environmentally friendly protective clothing using waste wool to produce a biodegradable and biocompatible alternative, turning environmental problems into biomedical solutions. Utilizing chemically reduced-wool keratin (KerSH), extracted from waste wool through a mild chemical reduction, blended with biocompatible gelatin and poly(2-ethyl 2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) or its hydrolyzed product poly(2-ethyl 2-oxazoline-co polyethylene imine) (PEtOx- co -PEI), it was aimed to enhance cotton fabrics with polymeric nanowebs via electrospinning. This modification provides various morphologies, including hybrid, Janus, and core–shell structures, tailored by adjusting the solvent, polymer ratios, and electrospinning conditions. The resultant nanofibrous coatings were comprehensively characterized using ATR-FTIR, 1 H-NMR, SEM, optical microscopy, and contact-angle measurements to assess their structure and properties. Consequently, this study offers a keratin-derived nanofibrous composite with potential uses in biomedical substrates such as filtration systems, biocompatible meshes, and materials for reusable surgical masks.