Solution Blow Spun Poly(ethylene oxide)/Poly-ε-caprolactone System: Properties and Dissolution in Water

In the present work, fibrous materials based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL), and a mixture of them (PEO/PCL) have been prepared by solution blow spinning (SBS). The rotation speed of the collector of the SBS device (500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000 rpm) has been chosen as the processing variable to modify the materials’ morphologies. The structures of the polymer systems have been evaluated by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, and the morphologies have been inspected by field emission scanning electron microscopy, while thermal and mechanical behaviors have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry and tensile tests, respectively. Dissolution in water has been monitored by optical microscopy and video recording. As a proof of concept, the capacities of the systems under study to release a model drug have been tested by loading the materials with silver(I) sulfadiazine (SSD) and then immersing them in a buffer solution and monitoring the process through the intrinsic fluorescence of SSD. Our results indicate that there are no changes at the molecular level, but there is a change in the morphology of the material as a function of the rotation speed of the collector. These morphological variations, together with the composition of the system, affect the mechanical behavior of the material, the dissolution process in water, and the drug release. These factors are relevant if the blow spun material is intended for biomedical applications in which an active agent has to be released in a controlled manner.